WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is taking the first steps toward requiring nearly all foreign visitors to the U.S. to be vaccinated for the coronavirus, according to a White House official who previewed the developing policy.
The requirement would come as part of the administration’s phased approach to easing travel restrictions for foreign citizens to the country.
No timeline has yet been determined, as interagency working groups study how and when to safely move toward resuming normal travel.
Eventually, all foreign citizens entering the country, with some limited exceptions, are expected to need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the U.S.
Since taking office, the Biden administration has preserved travel restrictions that have prevented foreign nationals from taking trips into the U.S.
Under current rules, non-U.S. residents who have been to China, the European Schengen area, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and India within 14 days are prohibited from entering the country.
Biden has kept those rules in place despite pressure from the airline industry and the families separated throughout the pandemic.