Passengers at LAX after arriving from Shanghai, China, after a positive case of the coronavirus was announced in the Orange County suburb of Los Angeles, January 26, 2020.
Ringo Chiu | Reuters
The White House said Friday it would allow international travelers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 into the U.S. starting Nov. 8, lifting a ban on visitors from the European Union, UK and other countries.
The White House last month said it planned to lift the travel restrictions, which barred most non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in Europe, Brazil, South Africa and elsewhere, in early November. The rules were first set Trump administration early in the pandemic to slow the spread of Covid-19, and extended by the new Biden administration in the winter. The Biden administration had said visitors would have to be fully vaccinated against Covid to enter.
Inbound travelers, including U.S. citizens, still need proof of a negative Covid test to travel to the United States from abroad.
The measure is a relief for large airlines like Delta, United and American, which have struggled to return to profitability with international travel curbed for more than a year and a half.
“We welcome the Biden administration’s science-based approach to begin lifting the restrictions on travel to the U.S. that were put into place at the start of the pandemic,” American’s CEO Doug Parker said in a statement.
American shares rose 1.7% to $19.98, United rose 0.2% to $48 and Delta fell 0.5% to end Friday at $40.99.
This article was originally published on CNBC