U.S. to allow fully vaccinated visitors from Nov 8

• The then-President Donald Trump first imposed restriction in 2020.

• Shares of airlines, hotel and cruise industry rose on the news.

The White House said on Friday it will lift COVID-19 travel restrictions starting November 8 for fully vaccinated international visitors, after U.S. restricted people from other countries for almost two years.

The travel restrictions had barred visitors from Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China, India and most of Europe from entering U.S. which hurt tourism. Many people were unable to meet their family as well.

Many officials praised the Biden administration’s decision to lift the restrictions including Sweden’s ambassador to the U.S. Karin Olofsdotter calling it “very welcoming news.”

The then-President Donald Trump first imposed restriction in 2020 which was later extended by Biden.

The U.S. Transportation Department said on Friday that U.S. international air passenger traffic was down 43% in August and overall passenger air traffic was down 21% over pre-pandemic levels.

Shares of airlines, hotel and cruise industry rose on the news as shares of American Airlines were up 2.8%, Marriott International Inc were up 3.7% and Carnival Corp were up 0.9%.

Picture Credits: Reuters