The U.S. opened its doors to visitors from Canada, Mexico, Europe and elsewhere for the first time in 20 months under new COVID-19 safety rules, allowing separated couples to reunite and giving airlines hope they can rebound from heavy losses during the pandemic.
Many of the Delta Air Lines flights arriving Monday in the U.S. were full as overseas travelers were permitted to enter with proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test.
“This is the start of a new era for travel and for many people around the world who have not been able to see loved ones for almost two years,” CEO Ed Bastian said. “While we have seen many countries reopen their borders to American visitors over the summer, our international customers have not been able to fly with us or visit the U.S. All of that changes now.”
A flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Atlanta was Delta’s first international flight to reach the U.S. under the new rules.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic teamed up for a dual takeoff from Heathrow Airport in London, with both planes landing in New York around 11 a.m.
“It is a monumental day for travelers, for the communities and businesses that rely on international visitation, and for the U.S. economy overall,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow.
Lines moved quickly Monday morning at San Diego’s border with Mexico, the busiest crossing in the United States, despite the added checks for vaccinations required to enter the country.
Octavio Alvarez, 43, zipped through in less than 15 minutes, coming to the U.S. for the first time since February 2020. Mr. Alvarez and his 14-year-old daughter, Sofia, planned to visit his mother-in-law in California for the first time in two years.
“It’s a big feeling,” said Mr. Alvarez, whose family visited California twice a month before the pandemic.
The emotional cost of the border restrictions was “very high,” he added.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, said she was happy to see the northern border reopen to vaccinated Canadians after weeks of prodding the Biden administration.
“The border’s closure since the pandemic began put serious strain on businesses and families across the Granite State, which is why I spent months working with the administration to push for the safe opening,” said Ms. Shaheen.
Restrictions on travel began in the Trump administration with the fast-moving virus sparking bans on travel from China, Iran and then Europe as the pandemic hit last March. Other countries were roped in as the situation became a swirling pandemic.
Mr. Down said key countries impacted by the bans — the U.K, Ireland, the 26 European countries in the Schengen Area, South Africa, Iran, Brazil, India and China — comprise only 17% of all countries but accounted for 53% of overseas visitors to the U.S. in 2019.
The restrictions had a devastating economic impact, resulting in nearly $300 billion in lost export income and the loss of more than 1 million American jobs.
The association said it doesn’t expect international inbound travel to rebound to 2019 levels until at least 2024, he said.
Border towns near Canada and Mexico are expecting a near-term uptick in travel and their economic fortunes after a long period of restrictions.
The U.S. is accepting travelers who have been vaccinated with one of the brands approved in the states or by the World Health Organization. The AstraZeneca vaccine, for instance, is not used in the U.S. but is widely available in Canada and Europe.
Wives will hug husbands for the first time in months. Grandmas will coo over grandsons who have doubled in age since they last saw them. Aunts and uncles and cousins will snuggle babies they haven’t met yet.
“I’m going to jump into his arms, kiss him, touch him,” Gaye Camara said of the husband in New York she has not seen since before COVID-19 brought the fly-here-there-and-everywhere world to a halt.
“Just talking about it makes me emotional,” Ms. Camara, 40, said as she wheeled her luggage through Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, which could almost be mistaken for its pre-pandemic self, busy with humming crowds, albeit in masks.
American citizens and permanent residents were always allowed to enter the U.S., but the travel bans grounded tourists, thwarted business travelers and often separated families.
The patchwork rules sparked confusion at times, and accusations that the restrictions didn’t reflect the virus situation in certain countries.
Europeans, in particular, were banking on Mr. Biden to lift the restrictions when the virus picture improved earlier this year. They grew frustrated when they eased their rules ahead of the summer tourism season only to see the U.S. keep a tight lid on who could enter.
The EU tightened its protocols on travelers from the U.S., particularly the unvaccinated, in the late summer as the delta variant wreaked havoc in the U.S., though some saw it as retribution for America’s reluctance to reciprocate earlier.
• This article includes wire service reports.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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