- United States lifts travel restrictions
- Ban had halted tourism since start of pandemic
- Travellers must be vaccinated against COVID-19
LONDON/CHICAGO, Nov 8 (Reuters) – Packed intercontinental flights touched down and people embraced relatives at land borders on Monday after the United States lifted restrictions imposed on travellers from much of the world when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The travel ban, first imposed in early 2020, had barred access to non-U.S. citizens travelling from 33 countries – including China, India and much of Europe – and had also restricted overland entry from Mexico and Canada.
“Today America is open for business. That is our message to the world,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Reuters in an interview at Chicago’s O’Hare airport.
Jez Cartwright, 49, was one of the first passengers off BA001, the first British Airways flight to land at JFK airport from London’s Heathrow airport.
“It’s brilliant to…
