Any USA entry updates?

[BadPinkTink]

yikes, President Biden just signed an Executive Order for 14 day quarantine for incoming international passengers

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...masks-quarantine-for-travelers-in-covid-fight
The Biden administration is vowing tough enforcement of new safety measures it is imposing on travelers to curb the spread of the coronavirus even as some say elements of the plan will be difficult to police.

In an executive order he will issue Thursday, his second day in office, President Joe Biden will require masks be worn in airports, planes, intercity buses and other forms of transportation. The president is also ordering people who arrive in the U.S. from other countries to self-quarantine, which had previously been unenforced guidance.

“We are prepared to make sure we use all relevant authorities to enforce the president’s executive order to ensure across every mode of transportation workers, passengers, commuters are protected,” Pete Buttigieg, the nominee to become secretary of transportation, told lawmakers Thursday during a hearing on his confirmation.

Biden will also codify an action by former President Donald Trump on Jan. 12 to require a negative Covid-19 test before flying to the U.S. from other nations, according to a Biden administration fact sheet. The order will be coupled with one requiring masks on federal properties that was signed by Biden on Wednesday.

 

[Plague]

Biden will also codify an action by former President Donald Trump on Jan. 12 to require a negative Covid-19 test before flying to the U.S. from other nations,

It seems that having flown in you will still be required (not advised) to self-isolate for 14 days.

On the upside, Biden's actions might get things back to something more controlled (I'm not even going near the 'normal' idea - you can dream about it ) by summer/autumn.

 

[jackieleanne]

Well at least we know more now. Looks like I'll need to try get refund on my tickets an try to go about renting my DVC points because April/May certainly seems out and I dont think we will get to go before the end of July (without quarantine) 2019 points id have to carry over expire.

 

[disneyholic family]

It seems that having flown in you will still be required (not advised) to self-isolate for 14 days.

On the upside, Biden's actions might get things back to something more controlled (I'm not even going near the 'normal' idea - you can dream about it ) by summer/autumn.

so hard to know...
it's been a year since this started..
who here would have predicted we'd be where we are now?
.

 

[Plague]

so hard to know...
it's been a year since this started..
who here would have predicted we'd be where we are now?
.

I think a fair few did. It was never going to be over by Christmas.
If every government and individual in the world had acted to contain it a year ago, then certainly things would not be as bad now as they are ... But that was never going to happen.

 

[jackieleanne]

I definitely thought it would be over by Christmas, or at least controlled so things were back to normal. But i'm ever the optimist, always look on the bright side is me all over ;-)

I certainly didn't think i'd be cancelling my August 2021 trip though!

Roll on August 2022.....it'll all be over by then ;-)

Me too, I certainly didn't think it would all still be going on now and that we would have to move an April/May trip again.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

It seems that having flown in you will still be required (not advised) to self-isolate for 14 days.

On the upside, Biden's actions might get things back to something more controlled (I'm not even going near the 'normal' idea - you can dream about it ) by summer/autumn.

So potentially required to isolate on arrival in US and when returning to U.K.? If these requirements are formally announced/ become law then my March/April trip is doomed. October anyone?

 

[JordanClark9]

So potentially required to isolate on arrival in US and when returning to U.K.? If these requirements are formally announced/ become law then my March/April trip is doomed. October anyone?

Still hopeful for my September trip. I'm hoping the vaccine rollout will mean a more "normal" Summer at least. Time will tell.
If masks and some restrictions are still required by then, we'll still go. I'm past caring about all of that now and really would just like a holiday.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

really would just like a holiday.

Oh yes!!!!

 

[BadPinkTink]

More details will be released in the next few days. I'm thinking it will either be 14 day quarantine for unvaccinated international arrivals OR show proof of vaccination. It would not make sense to quarantine vaccinated people. I moved my flights to June and I'm hopeful that I will be vaccinated before my trip.

 

[jackieleanne]

More details will be released in the next few days. I'm thinking it will either be 14 day quarantine for unvaccinated international arrivals OR show proof of vaccination. It would not make sense to quarantine vaccinated people. I moved my flights to June and I'm hopeful that I will be vaccinated before my trip.

I may give it a week or so then to get further details before I do anything.

 

[tinkerbell1991]

So potentially required to isolate on arrival in US and when returning to U.K.? If these requirements are formally announced/ become law then my March/April trip is doomed. October anyone?

I'm October... For now this will be the third time I've cancelled my wedding date so praying we can still go, masks and all

 

[Plague]

It would not make sense to quarantine vaccinated people.

Vaccination is not a magic bullet and there are still unknowns about them preventing transmission.
You should read this BBC News article:
Covid: Why won't vaccinating the vulnerable end lockdown?

There is hope that things may be better by autumn, but I'm wary of it. Things will improve dramatically in the summer because that's the nature of these flu type things - open windows and outdoor activity - and the vaccines will help. But then, as in 2020, people will think it's all over and let their guard down and come the colder weather it may all go south again.

 

[Plague]

So potentially required to isolate on arrival in US and when returning to U.K.?

OMG.
The 14 days out was the "nuh-uh" point for me. I hadn't even got to thinking about coming back

 

[DadVader]

Hopefully I'm reading this right ? Going by the document, the boffins have 14 days to provide potential actions to POTUS. Hopefully it will be Proof of negative test for travel or a period of self-isolation ? We're due to travel in Sept so fingers crossed.

whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/21/executive-order-promoting-covid-19-safety-in-domestic-and-international-travel/

 

[disneyholic family]

my daughter's august 2021 trip is now in doubt.
while she's an american with an american passport, her husband is an israeli.
He has a 10 year visa that expires in May so he had an appointment scheduled for March to get a new one.
He made that appointment 5 months ago.
But he just now got an email saying all visa appointments have been canceled and they have no clue when they will reschedule, but have extended the validity of the fee he paid into 2022.
The fact that they've extended the validity of the fee paid in advance for the visa well into 2022 should be an indicator of where this is headed.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

my daughter's august 2021 trip is now in doubt.
while she's an american with an american passport, her husband is an israeli.
He has a 10 year visa that expires in May so he had an appointment scheduled for March to get a new one.
He made that appointment 5 months ago.
But he just now got an email saying all visa appointments have been canceled and they have no clue when they will reschedule, but have extended the validity of the fee he paid into 2022.
The fact that they've extended the validity of the fee paid in advance for the visa well into 2022 should be an indicator of where this is headed.

Does this mean that you won’t see them for a while? That must be tough.

 

[disneyholic family]

Does this mean that you won’t see them for a while? That must be tough.

i live in israel....... we all live in israel....that's why i hang out on the UK board and have been doing that for the past 20 years...
a lot of the travel tips on this board also apply to travel from israel
Plus over the years, we've traveled on the UK/EU disney package (free dining).

I only posted the above that that sudden cancellation is an indicator that the biden administration has told the state department to shut things down for the near future...
.

 

[Plague]

I only posted the above that that sudden cancellation is an indicator that the biden administration has told the state department to shut things down for the near future...

We've actually moved on a bit in a subtle way.
Last year countries were just trying to keep SARS 2 out. Now they are trying to keep new variants of it out.
It's the same game, but the goal posts have moved, and I think Biden needs time to get a handle on it ... because, well, not much of a handover.
That said, given the infection rate in the US I'd actually be surprised if they aren't cooking up a variant or two of their own over there.

 

[disneyholic family]

We've actually moved on a bit in a subtle way.
Last year countries were just trying to keep SARS 2 out. Now they are trying to keep new variants of it out.
It's the same game, but the goal posts have moved, and I think Biden needs time to get a handle on it ... because, well, not much of a handover.
That said, given the infection rate in the US I'd actually be surprised if they aren't cooking up a variant or two of their own over there.

i agree. I think that corona was in the US long before they closed the door.
I'm sure it was already in the US before the world even became aware of it in china.
There's a lot of travel (or there was) between china and the US, so it was there long before they realized it, which would explain why new york had stratospheric numbers right out of the starting gate.

and for sure the UK and every other variant has been in the US for a while. They don't really do much checking to determine strains, so there's no way to know.
But the sky high numbers speak for themselves.
the UK variant (and possibly also the south african and brazilian variants) is highly contagious, far more contagious than the original strain.
while with the original strain we saw families here in Israel where one person would become ill, but not the rest of the family, with the UK strain it's a done deal.
Once a single member of the family is ill, it's just a matter of time before they all succumb.
And with the UK strain, kids seem to be more susceptible and greater spreaders. And also seem to be getting sicker for some reason.

on the bright side, the pfizer vaccine does seem to be effective against the UK strain.
We had a massive surge the past two weeks, but now that we have a good chunk of the population vaccinated, it does seem to be slowing down, though just a smidgeon at this point.
but even just leveling off is a good sign at this point.
here's hoping it continues in the correct direction!!
.