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Update on Change to U.S. Travel Policy Requiring COVID-19 Vaccination for nonimmigrant travel

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The Administration will end the COVID-19 vaccine requirements for international air travelers at the end of the day on May 11, the same day that the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. This means starting May 12, noncitizen nonimmigrant air passengers will no longer need to show proof of being fully vaccinated with an accepted COVID-19 vaccine to board a flight to the United States. CDC’s Amended Order Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic will no longer be in effect when the Presidential Proclamation Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic is revoked .

Please see: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/01/the-biden-administration-will-end-covid-19-vaccination-requirements-for-federal-employees-contractors-international-travelers-head-start-educators-and-cms-certified-facilities/

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• Fact Sheets

Frequently Asked Questions: Guidance for Travelers to Enter the U.S.

Updated Date: April 21, 2022

Since January 22, 2022, DHS has required non-U.S. individuals seeking to enter the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination upon request.  On April 21, 2022, DHS announced that it would extend these requirements. In determining whether and when to rescind this order, DHS anticipates that it will take account of whether the vaccination requirement for non-U.S. air travelers remains in place.

These requirements apply to non-U.S. individuals who are traveling for essential or non-essential reasons. They do not apply to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, or U.S. nationals.

Effective November 8, 2021, new air travel requirements applied to many noncitizens who are visiting the United States temporarily. These travelers are also required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. All air travelers, including U.S. persons, must test negative for COVID-19 prior to departure. Limited exceptions apply. See  CDC guidance  for more details regarding air travel requirements.

Below is more information about what to know before you go, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions about cross-border travel.

Entering the U.S. Through a Land Port of Entry or Ferry Terminal

Q. what are the requirements for travelers entering the united states through land poes.

A:  Before embarking on a trip to the United States, non-U.S. travelers should be prepared for the following:

• Possess proof of an approved COVID-19 vaccination as outlined on the  CDC  website.
• During border inspection, verbally attest to their COVID-19 vaccination status. 
• Bring a  Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative  compliant border crossing document, such as a valid passport (and visa if required), Trusted Traveler Program card, a Department of State-issued Border Crossing Card, Enhanced Driver’s License or Enhanced Tribal Card when entering the country. Travelers (including U.S. citizens) should be prepared to present the WHTI-compliant document and any other documents requested by the CBP officer.

 Q. What are the requirements to enter the United States for children under the age of 18 who can't be vaccinated?

A:  Children under 18 years of age are excepted from the vaccination requirement at land and ferry POEs.

Q: Which vaccines/combination of vaccines will be accepted?

A:  Per CDC guidelines, all Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and authorized vaccines, as well as all vaccines that have an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO), will be accepted.

Accepted Vaccines:

• More details are available in CDC guidance  here .
• 2 weeks (14 days) after your dose of an accepted single-dose COVID-19 vaccine;
• 2 weeks (14 days) after your second dose of an accepted 2-dose series;
• 2 weeks (14 days) after you received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine (not placebo) in a clinical trial;
• 2 weeks (14 days) after you received 2 doses of any “mix-and-match” combination of accepted COVID-19 vaccines administered at least 17 days apart.

Q. Is the United States requiring travelers to have a booster dose to be considered fully vaccinated for border entry purposes?

A:  No. The CDC guidance for “full vaccination” can be found here.

Q: Do U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents need proof of vaccination to return to the United States via land POEs and ferry terminals?

A:  No. Vaccination requirements do not apply to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). Travelers that exhibit signs or symptoms of illness will be referred to CDC for additional medical evaluation.

Q: Is pre- or at-arrival COVID testing required to enter the United States via land POEs or ferry terminals?

A: No, there is no COVID testing requirement to enter the United States via land POE or ferry terminals. In this respect, the requirement for entering by a land POE or ferry terminal differs from arrival via air, where there is a requirement to have a negative test result before departure.

Processing Changes Announced on January 22, 2022 

Q: new changes were recently announced. what changed on january 22.

A:  Since January 22, 2022, non-citizens who are not U.S. nationals or Lawful Permanent Residents have been required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the United States at land ports of entry and ferry terminals, whether for essential or nonessential purposes. Previously, DHS required that non-U.S. persons be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the United States for nonessential purposes.  Effective January 22, all non-U.S. individuals, to include essential travelers, must be prepared to attest to vaccination status and present proof of vaccination to a CBP officer upon request. DHS announced an extension of this policy on April 21, 2022.

Q: Who is affected by the changes announced on January 22?

A: This requirement does not apply to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents. It applies to other noncitizens, such as a citizen of Mexico, Canada, or any other country seeking to enter the United States through a land port of entry or ferry terminal.

Q: Do U.S. citizens need proof of vaccination to return to the United States via land port of entry or ferry terminals?

A: Vaccination requirements do not apply to U.S. Citizens, U.S. nationals or U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents. Travelers that exhibit signs or symptoms of illness will be referred to CDC for additional medical evaluation. 

Q: What is essential travel?

A:  Under the prior policy, there was an exception from temporary travel restrictions for “essential travel.” Essential travel included travel to attend educational institutions, travel to work in the United States, travel for emergency response and public health purposes, and travel for lawful cross-border trade (e.g., commercial truckers). Under current policy, there is no exception for essential travel.

Q: Will there be any exemptions? 

A: While most non-U.S. individuals seeking to enter the United States will need to be vaccinated, there is a narrow list of exemptions consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Order in the air travel context.

• Certain categories of individuals on diplomatic or official foreign government travel as specified in the CDC Order
• Children under 18 years of age;
• Certain participants in certain COVID-19 vaccine trials as specified in the CDC Order;   
• Individuals with medical contraindications to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine as specified in the CDC Order;
• Individuals issued a humanitarian or emergency exception by the Secretary of Homeland Security;
• Individuals with valid nonimmigrant visas (excluding B-1 [business] or B-2 [tourism] visas) who are citizens of a country with limited COVID-19 vaccine availability, as specified in the CDC Order
• Members of the U.S. Armed Forces or their spouses or children (under 18 years of age) as specified in the CDC Order; and
• Individuals whose entry would be in the U.S. national interest, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Q: What documentation will be required to show vaccination status?

A:  Non-U.S. individuals are required to be prepared to attest to vaccination status and present proof of vaccination to a CBP officer upon request regardless of the purpose of travel.

The current documentation requirement remains the same and is available on the CDC website . Documentation requirements for entry at land ports of entry and ferry terminals mirror those for entry by air.

Q: What happens if someone doesn’t have proof of vaccine status?

A: If non-U.S. individuals cannot present proof of vaccination upon request, they will not be admitted into the United States and will either be subject to removal or be allowed to withdraw their application for entry.

Q: Will incoming travelers be required to present COVID-19 test results?

A: There is no COVID-19 testing requirement for travelers at land border ports of entry, including ferry terminals.

Q: What does this mean for those who can't be vaccinated, either due to age or other health considerations? 

A: See CDC guidance for additional information on this topic. Note that the vaccine requirement does not apply to children under 18 years of age.

Q: Does this requirement apply to amateur and professional athletes?

A: Yes, unless they qualify for one of the narrow CDC exemptions.

Q: Are commercial truckers required to be vaccinated?

A: Yes, unless they qualify for one of the narrow CDC exemptions. These requirements also apply to bus drivers as well as rail and ferry operators.

Q. Do you expect border wait times to increase?

A:  As travelers navigate these new travel requirements, wait times may increase. Travelers should account for the possibility of longer than normal wait times and lines at U.S. land border crossings when planning their trip and are kindly encouraged to exercise patience.

To help reduce wait times and long lines, travelers can take advantage of innovative technology, such as facial biometrics and the CBP OneTM mobile application, which serves as a single portal for individuals to access CBP mobile applications and services.

Q: How is Customs and Border Protection staffing the ports of entry? 

A: CBP’s current staffing levels at ports of entry throughout the United States are commensurate with pre-pandemic levels. CBP has continued to hire and train new employees throughout the pandemic. CBP expects some travelers to be non-compliant with the proof of vaccination requirements, which may at times lead to an increase in border wait times. Although trade and travel facilitation remain a priority, we cannot compromise national security, which is our primary mission. CBP Office of Field Operations will continue to dedicate its finite resources to the processing of arriving traffic with emphasis on trade facilitation to ensure economic recovery.

Q: What happens if a vaccinated individual is traveling with an unvaccinated individual?  

A:  The unvaccinated individual (if 18 or over) would not be eligible for admission.

Q: If I am traveling for an essential reason but am not vaccinated can I still enter?

A:  No, if you are a non-U.S. individual. The policy announced on January 22, 2022 applies to both essential and non-essential travel by non-U.S. individual travelers. Since January 22, DHS has required that all inbound non-U.S. individuals crossing U.S. land or ferry POEs – whether for essential or non-essential reasons – be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination upon request.

Q: Are sea crew members on vessels required to have a COVID vaccine to disembark?

A:  Sea crew members traveling pursuant to a C-1 or D nonimmigrant visa are not excepted from COVID-19 vaccine requirements at the land border. This is a difference from the international air transportation context.

Entering the U.S. via Air Travel

Q: what are the covid vaccination requirements for air passengers to the united states  .

A:  According to CDC requirements [www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/noncitizens-US-air-travel.html | Link no longer valid], most noncitizens who are visiting the United States temporarily must be fully vaccinated prior to boarding a flight to the United States. These travelers are required to show proof of vaccination. A list of covered individuals is available on the CDC website.  

Q: What are the COVID testing requirements for air passengers to the United States?  

A:  Effective Sunday, June 12 at 12:01 a.m. ET, CDC will no longer require pre-departure COVID-19 testing for U.S.-bound air travelers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

⚠   The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency expired as of May 11, 2023. This site will no longer be updated and will remain online for historical purposes only.

For current COVID-19 guidance, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .

• Can I wear a mask to the TSA checkpoint? Yes, CDC recommends travelers wear a mask throughout their travel journey. Travelers may be asked to adjust their mask for identity verification or remove it briefly if it alarms the security screening equipment.  

Can I request that TSA officers use new gloves during my screening? Yes. TSA officers are required to wear nitrile gloves when conducting screening duties and to change them following each pat-down and upon passenger request.

Can I bring my own filled water bottle through the TSA checkpoint? No, you are not permitted to bring your own filled water bottle that exceeds 3.4 ounces through the checkpoint. Many airports now offer touchless refilling stations past security that enable travelers to fill empty bottles and containers they bring from home. Consult the directory or ask a local official for locations in your departure airport.

Do I need to remove electronics from my carry-on bags?

Yes, you should plan to remove personal electronic devices larger than a cell phone from your carry-on bag and put them in a separate bin with nothing placed on or under them for security screening. (This does not apply to TSA PreCheck™ passengers.) Some airports are using new Computed Tomography (CT) technology that allows you to keep electronics in your carry-on luggage. Passengers will be advised on the use of CT scanners at the checkpoint and of any alternate procedures. 

Can TSA still open and go through my checked luggage? What precautions are being taken to reduce possible contamination? Yes, TSA may inspect your checked baggage during the screening process. If your property is physically inspected, TSA will place a notice of baggage inspection inside your bag. To reduce the likelihood of contamination, TSA officers are changing their gloves after each bag check and conducting enhanced sanitation of baggage screening areas.

What is the status of REAL ID enforcement in light of COVID-19?

The Department of Homeland Security has extended the deadline for REAL ID enforcement to May 7, 2025. Visit the REAL ID website for more information.

What happens if a passenger is unruly and does not comply with an airline’s policies and/or causes an inflight disruption or distraction for the crew?

Federal law prohibits physically assaulting or threatening to physically assault aircraft crew or anyone else on a civil aircraft. Passengers are subject to civil penalties for such misconduct, which can threaten the safety of the flight by disrupting or distracting cabin crew from their safety duties. Additionally, federal law provides for criminal fines and imprisonment of passengers who interfere with the performance of a crewmember’s duties by assaulting or intimidating that crewmember. 

What happens if there is a sick passenger on an international or domestic flight?

Under current federal regulations, pilots must report all onboard illnesses and deaths to CDC before arriving to a U.S. destination. According to CDC illness response protocols, if a sick traveler has a serious contagious disease during air travel, CDC works with local and state health departments and international public health agencies to contact exposed passengers and crew. Be sure to give the airline your current contact information when booking your ticket so you can be notified if you are exposed to a sick traveler on a flight. For more information, see the CDC web page Protecting Travelers’ Health from Airport to Community: Investigating Contagious Diseases on Flights .

Can flying on an airplane increase my risk of getting COVID-19? 

Most airlines and airports are enhancing their cleaning and passenger health protection protocols due to COVID-19, but air travel requires spending time in security lines and airport terminals, which can bring you in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. This may increase your risk for exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19.

Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes (the air in an airplane cabin is fully renewed every 2-3 minutes, which is more frequent than most other locations in which people spend time). However, social distancing is difficult on flights, and you may have to sit near others, sometimes for hours. This is why CDC recommends the wearing of a face mask an important additional measure against exposing yourself or others to COVID-19.   It is important to follow basic guidance on wearing a face mask and frequently washing your hands or using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. For more information see CDC’s Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic .

International Travel Requirements

• What should passengers provide to airlines to show they are fully vaccinated? Both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals who are fully vaccinated should travel with proof of their vaccination status to provide to their airline prior to departure to the United States. That proof of vaccination should be a paper or digital record issued by an official source and should include the traveler’s name and date of birth, as well as the vaccine product and date(s) of administration for all doses the traveler received.  
• How does the exemption from full vaccination for children work? Children under 18 are exempted from the vaccination requirement for foreign national travelers, given both the ineligibility of some younger children for vaccination, as well as the global variability in access to vaccination for older children who are eligible to be vaccinated.  
• How is the United States government determining exceptions to the vaccination requirement for foreign nationals?  The presidential proclamation and CDC order include a very limited set of exceptions from the vaccination requirement for foreign nationals. These include exceptions for children, certain COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial participants, those with rare medical contraindications to the vaccines, those who need to travel for emergency or humanitarian reasons, those who are traveling on non-tourist visas from countries with low-vaccine availability, members of the armed forces and their immediate families, airline crew, ship crew, and diplomats.

*All information developed in accordance with CDC guidelines. 

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Coronavirus Updates

Cdc says travel is safe for fully vaccinated people, but opposes nonessential trips.

Rachel Treisman

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its domestic travel guidance for fully vaccinated people on Friday, lifting certain requirements while continuing to advise mitigation measures like mask-wearing and hand-washing. Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its domestic travel guidance for fully vaccinated people on Friday, lifting certain requirements while continuing to advise mitigation measures like mask-wearing and hand-washing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its domestic travel guidance for fully vaccinated people, lifting certain testing and self-quarantine requirements and recommending precautions like wearing a mask and avoiding crowds. But health officials continue to discourage nonessential travel, citing a sustained rise in cases and hospitalizations.

The CDC updated its website on Friday to reflect the latest scientific evidence, writing that "people who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States."

The announcement comes less than a month after the CDC first released updated guidance about gatherings for fully vaccinated people, which it described as a "first step" toward returning to everyday activities.

Air Travel Is Opening Up Again, But That Doesn't Mean The Pandemic Is Over

The CDC considers someone fully vaccinated two weeks after they receive the last dose of vaccine. Those individuals will no longer need to get tested before or after travel unless their destination requires it, and do not need to self-quarantine upon return.

The new guidance means, for example, that fully vaccinated grandparents can fly to visit their healthy grandkids without getting a COVID-19 test or self-quarantining as long as they follow other recommended measures while traveling, according to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

Those measures include wearing a mask over their nose and mouth, staying 6 feet from others and washing their hands frequently. Masks are required on all planes traveling into, within or out of the U.S., under an executive order issued by President Biden.

But Walensky, speaking at a White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing on Friday, nonetheless discouraged all nonessential travel, citing a continued increase in the seven-day average of cases and hospitalizations.

"While we believe that fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves, CDC is not recommending travel at this time due to the rising number of cases," Walensky said.

CDC Director Fears 'Impending Doom' If U.S. Opens Too Quickly

She said that while vaccinated people can do more things safely, most Americans are not yet fully vaccinated. Those who are not must have a negative test 1-3 days before they travel under CDC guidance. They must either get tested 3-5 days after they return and self-quarantine for 7 days, or self-quarantine for 10 days with no test.

Walensky said on Monday that there is more travel occurring now than throughout the pandemic, including the winter holidays. She acknowledged that people have been looking to get away over spring break or take advantage of what they perceive as a "relative paucity in cases," and she said the country was seeing an uptick in cases as a result.

"The thing that's different this time is that we actually have it in our power to be done with the scale of the vaccination," she said. "And that will be so much slower if we have another surge to deal with as well."

The U.S. is already seeing an uptick in domestic travel, and many Americans are looking to book trips in the coming months in what experts described to NPR as a sign of "clear pent up demand for travel."

As the country's supply of COVID-19 doses has grown, so has Biden's goal for the number of shots in arms during his first 100 days, doubling the target to 200 million by the end of this month. Many states have already expanded eligibility to all adults or are set to do so in the coming weeks, well ahead of the president's May 1 deadline.

According to NPR's vaccine tracker , 16.9% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, and 30% has had at least one dose. Researchers estimate that 70% to 85% of the country would need to have immunity for COVID-19 to stop spreading through communities.

International travel restrictions remain

The CDC is not lifting travel restrictions barring the entry of most non-U.S. citizens from places including China, Brazil, South Africa and parts of Europe. It will continue to require airline passengers entering the U.S. to get a test within three days of their departure and show proof of a negative result before boarding.

The travel industry has been pushing for some of these restrictions to end. A group of 26 organizations sent a letter to White House COVID-19 czar Jeffrey Zients urging the federal government "to partner with us to develop, by May 1, 2021, a risk-based, data-driven roadmap to rescind inbound international travel restrictions."

While Some Spring Breakers Swarm Beaches, Many Stay Home, Dreaming Of Summer Travel

"To be clear, at this time, we do not support removal or easing of core public health protections, such as the universal mask mandate, inbound international testing requirement, physical distancing or other measures that have made travel safer and reduced transmission of the virus," they wrote. "However, the data and science demonstrate that the right public health measures are now in place to effectively mitigate risk and allow for the safe removal of entry restrictions."

Travel and tourism have taken a considerable hit because of the pandemic with industry groups noting that overseas travel to the U.S. declined by 81% in 2020, causing billions of dollars in losses. Without lifting international travel bans, the U.S. Travel Association estimates that some 1.1 million American jobs will not be restored and billions in spending will be lost by the end of the year.

"Fortunately, enough progress has been made on the health front that a rebound for domestic leisure travel looks possible this year, but that alone won't get the job done," Roger Dow, the association's president and CEO, said in a statement . "A full travel recovery will depend on reopening international markets, and we must also contend with the challenge of reviving business travel."

Fauci Expects Surge In Vaccinations To Keep A 4th Coronavirus Wave At Bay

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Amid proposals for travel vaccine mandates, is there a right to unfettered travel in the u.s..

• Legal Issues
• Public Health

Travelers line up to go through a TSA checkpoint at Orlando International Airport on May 28, 2021. (AP)

If Your Time is short

• Legal experts say the Constitution generally recognizes a right to travel between the states. 

• But it’s not an absolute right. Courts have traditionally balanced this right against competing rights, including public health needs. Often, public health demands have come out on top.

With President Joe Biden moving to tighten vaccine requirements, some Republicans have pushed back, arguing that Biden’s policies unduly constrain personal liberty.

During a Sept. 16 interview on the conservative channel Newsmax, Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., focused on the prospect that Biden could make vaccination a requirement for interstate travel, such as on a plane. (Biden has not issued such an order, though one of his first acts as president was requiring masks for interstate travel.)

"This is a medical apartheid plain and simple," Cawthorn said, adding, "They want to start shutting down air travel to these people to get around the country? I think that’s actually a constitutional violation, because you actually have a constitutionally protected right to free, unrestricted travel within the United States of America."

Legal experts say Cawthorn is right that the Constitution recognizes a general right to travel between the states. However, they added that this right is traditionally balanced against other, competing rights — including public health and safety needs — and those other rights are often granted greater deference in the courts. (Cawthorn’s office did not respond to an inquiry.)

"There is a constitutional ‘right to travel,’ but it isn’t absolute," said Wendy E. Parmet, director of the Center for Health Policy and Law and Northeastern University.

On one hand, several portions of the Constitution are generally considered to support freedom of travel between the states, said Eugene Volokh, a UCLA law professor. They include the Privileges and Immunities Clause — which says that "the citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states" — as well as a related provision in the 14th Amendment .

On the other hand, Volokh and every other legal analyst we contacted agreed that this right is not unlimited.

While the Supreme Court "has recognized a right to interstate travel" in such cases as Saenz v. Roe from 1999, "it's not an unfettered right," said Jonathan H. Adler, a Case Western Reserve University law professor. "The regulation of interstate travel — think Transportation Security Administration measures — don't necessarily infringe upon that right." 

Indeed, the TSA, a federal agency created in the aftermath of 9/11, has myriad restrictions on what passengers can bring aboard a domestic flight, from alcoholic beverages over 140 proof to ammunition to axes. And those are just the items beginning with the letter A. (These rules even apply to flights within a state.)

The TSA also requires a valid form of identification, an X-ray scan of both checked and carry-on bags, and a scan of passengers by a metal detector, all in the name of public safety. Together, these conditions make travel anything but "free" and "unrestricted," yet they are constitutionally protected practices.

The federal regulatory role of interstate travel springs from the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, which gives Congress the power "to regulate commerce … among the several states."

"Since interstate travel is an area where states might not be able to cooperate and might discriminate against residents of other states, the power over interstate travel is in some ways given to the federal government," said Kermit Roosevelt, a University of Pennsylvania law professor.

Public health concerns have long been considered an area where the federal government can legitimately exercise its power over interstate travel, legal analysts said.

For instance, the Supreme Court decided in the 1877 case Railroad Co. v. Husen that a state "may exclude from its limits ... persons afflicted by contagious or infectious diseases."

That said, rulings in recent pandemic-related cases suggest that the courts, and especially conservative judges, are less likely than in the past to embrace a public-health justification for a new government regulation. So it’s unclear whether today’s courts would uphold a vaccine mandate as a condition for interstate travel. 

Such a policy "is untested," Parmet said. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arguably has such authority, but neither the Public Health Services Act nor CDC regulations are spot on, and courts might well say it doesn’t."

At the very least, a vaccine requirement for interstate travel might need to have certain exceptions, such as religious and medical exemptions, Adler said. "It's hard to know whether a specific measure would likely be upheld without seeing the particulars," he said.

Still, Ilya Somin, a George Mason University law professor who supports limits on federal power, acknowledged that there’s a strong legal case for requiring COVID-19 vaccines for travel on public-health grounds. Striking down such a mandate for plane travel would require a major reversal of longstanding interpretations by the courts, he said.

CORRECTION , Sept. 22, 2021 : This version of the article has been updated to add an ellipsis in the quotation from the Supreme Court case Railroad Co. v. Husen.

Our Sources

Madison Cawthorn, remarks on Newsmax , Sept. 16, 2021

Commerce Clause

Privileges and Immunities Clause

Fourteenth Amendment

Supreme Court, Saenz v. Roe , 1999

Supreme Court, Railroad Co. v. Husen , 1877

Eugene Volokh, " Restrictions on Interstate (and Intrastate) Travel in an Epidemic ," April 4, 2020

PolitiFact, " Will Joe Biden’s vaccination requirements hold up in court? " Sept. 15, 2021

Email interview with Eugene Volokh, UCLA law professor, Sept. 17, 2021

Email interview with Kermit Roosevelt, University of Pennsylvania law professor, Sept. 17, 2021

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What to Know About Testing and Vaccine Requirements for Travel

Do you need to be vaccinated or have a negative Covid-19 test for your next trip? Check this guide before traveling domestically or abroad.

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By Concepción de León

As vaccinations ramp up and regulations loosen for people in the United States, many are planning travel for summer and beyond, with experts predicting that July 4 will be the biggest travel weekend since the beginning of the pandemic.

But with regulations shifting, people might have questions about testing or vaccination requirements for their trips. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently eased travel recommendations to more than 100 countries. On June 18, the European Union added the United States to its “safe list” of countries , meaning that both vaccinated and unvaccinated American travelers should now be able to visit the 27 member countries, but these member states are allowed to set their own requirements and restrictions for travelers.

In the United States, the C.D.C. has advised that vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most places and released new travel guidelines that said domestic travel is safe for them. But travelers must take note of local advice and regulations, as these can vary state by state.

Here’s everything you need to consider about testing and vaccinations before you travel within the U.S. or internationally.

Are there testing and vaccination requirements for domestic travel?

For most places, no. You do not need to be vaccinated for any domestic travel. Hawaii is the only state that requires a negative test for travel.

In Hawaii, the test must be administered within 72 hours of arrival and the results uploaded to its Safe Travel platform to avoid a mandatory quarantine when entering the state.

Alternatively in Hawaii, you can also provide proof that you’ve recovered from Covid-19 in the past 90 days, including both a positive test result and a letter from a doctor clearing you to travel.

The state’s governor, David Ige, said this month that people who received their vaccination in the state of Hawaii may bypass testing and quarantine requirements starting on June 15, and that anyone vaccinated in the U.S. will be able to enter Hawaii without testing once the state has reached a 60 percent vaccination rate.

If you are unvaccinated, you should continue to adhere to social distancing and mask-wearing protocols while traveling domestically, the C.D.C. said . You can use the C.D.C.’s Travel Planner to check guidelines by state.

What are the testing and vaccination rules for international travel?

While testing and vaccination requirements vary by destination country, everyone arriving in the U.S. — even vaccinated Americans — must present a negative test result upon entry .

Many nations are still closed to American travelers. Those that are open may require a negative test, proof of vaccination or evidence of recovery (or a combination of these) to enter.

The United Kingdom , for instance, requires that American travelers, regardless of vaccination status, provide proof of a negative test taken within 72 hours of departure, quarantine upon arrival and take two additional tests during their stay. Children under 11 are exempt from these requirements, as are some other people depending on their reason for travel.

Some European countries have been allowing in Americans who are vaccinated or who can show a negative test. Americans are on the European Union’s “safe list” of countries, but while the bloc aims to take a coordinated approach to travel this summer, member states will be allowed to set their own requirements for travelers from individual countries, which could include testing and vaccination.

The E.U. “safe list” also applies to Europe’s border-free Schengen Zone, which includes non-E.U. countries such as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Lichtenstein.

Canada is still closed to Americans , with few exceptions, and will remain so until at least early July, said Patty Hajdu, the country’s minister of health, in a news conference in June.

The U.S.-Mexico land border is closed for nonessential travel until at least June 21, but air travel is allowed and the country does not require a negative test for entry. Because of its high risk level, the C.D.C. recommends that travelers be fully vaccinated before traveling to Mexico.

Consult the C.D.C.’s inventory of international travel health notices for more information on regulations by country.

“Travelers should always check with their airline and the embassy of the country they are visiting to ensure they have the proper documentation required to enter the country,” said Perry Flint, a spokesman for The International Air Transport Association, a global airline industry group.

What test should I take, and where and when?

To enter the U.S., travelers must show a negative result to a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) — PCR is a type of NAAT test — or an antigen test, also known as a rapid test, taken in the three days before departure, according to the C.D.C .

Some airports offer on-site testing, such as Heathrow Airport in England, or Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport in Italy.

Josh Alexander, a New York-based luxury travel agent for Protravel International, said that many international hotels, including most Four Seasons hotels and resorts , are offering on-site rapid tests for free or at a nominal cost.

Testing at local clinics is also available in many places, though you should check availability at your destination ahead of time and book if you can. It may also come at a high cost. Mr. Alexander said that PCR tests abroad can range from $50 to $150.

The C.D.C. said that it allows for a three-day time frame rather than 72 hours to allow flexibility in the time of day the test can be taken. For instance, if you are flying out on a Friday, the test may be taken at any time on Tuesday.

But, when it comes to international destinations, Mr. Alexander recommends erring on the side of caution when timing your test by calculating it based on time of arrival at your destination.

“Rules are constantly changing,” he said, “so we’re just trying to always tell people they should always be as conservative as possible to eliminate any gray area.”

What are the requirements for minors?

The C.D.C. testing recommendations apply to all children 2 years and older, which means your toddler also needs to deliver a negative Covid-19 test to enter the U.S. from abroad. When traveling, children should wear masks, practice social distancing and wash hands often, the C.D.C. said .

“If the kids are age 12 and older, get ’em vaccinated,” said William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, in an email.

If you’re traveling to a country within the European Union that is open to travelers from the U.S., children who cannot be vaccinated should have a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival at your destination, and additional testing may be required upon arrival.

Travelers should check with their airline or destination country website for relevant requirements.

What if I want to go on a cruise?

Rules vary from one cruise line to another, with some planning to require that all passengers and crew be vaccinated, and others adopting a hybrid model.

But recent laws passed in Florida and Texas banning businesses from requiring proof of vaccination to use their services may complicate this plan.

Celebrity Cruises, set to be the first U.S. cruise ship to restart operations on June 26 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said it’s optimistic that a resolution would be reached in time . It is requiring that guests 16 years and older be vaccinated, while children will be tested at the terminal.

Carnival Cruises said on Monday that its first ship would set sail from the Port of Galveston, in Texas, on July 3 and would be available only for vaccinated passengers. Norwegian, which will begin to operate cruises from Miami in August, said it will require the same through October 31 and has threatened to skip Florida ports if the state does not allow cruise lines an exemption from the law banning vaccine requirements.

Christine Duffy, the president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement on June 7 that “the current CDC requirements for cruising with a guest base that is unvaccinated will make it very difficult to deliver the experience our guests expect, especially given the large number of families with younger children who sail with us.”

“As a result, our alternative is to operate our ships from the U.S. during the month of July with vaccinated guests,” she said.

But even if you are vaccinated, you must also consider the requirements of the country where the cruise is disembarking. The Caribbean island of St. Maarten, for instance, where Celebrity Cruises started sailing on June 5, requires a negative test in addition to proof of vaccination.

What documents should I bring with me if I travel?

This will also depend on where you’re going, but a good rule of thumb is to carry your physical vaccine card, if you have it, and proof of a negative test, if it is required.

Mr. Alexander, the travel agent, recommends people bring the original documents. While a number of digital health certificates — which show vaccine status and test results — are in the works, he said, they are not yet widely accepted. You should check, also, that your document is in the correct language. The United Kingdom , for instance, requires that test results be in English, Spanish or French.

CommonPass , from the Geneva-based nonprofit the Commons Project Foundation, and the I.A.T.A. Travel Pass are two apps providing digital access to vaccine and testing records for travel. The European Union will be releasing its own digital Covid certificate for E.U. citizens by July 1, though it is unclear whether Americans will be able to use it.

You should check with your airline to see if the app you want to use will be accepted at your destination. Both the CommonPass and I.A.T.A. websites list destinations and airline partners accepting the digital health certificates.

Mr. Alexander added that some countries, such as Croatia, may also require proof of a return flight or confirmation of your hotel booking or other accommodation, though this is rare. In South Africa, which has implemented a curfew, travelers may need to show their flight ticket to law enforcement officers to show they are allowed to be in transit.

But these shifting regulations should not dissuade people from traveling, Mr. Alexander said.

“If you’re vaccinated and you’re following safe precautions, you can still have a great experience,” he said.

Concepción de León is a travel reporter based in New York. More about Concepción de León

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Executive Order on Promoting COVID- ⁠ 19 Safety in Domestic and International   Travel

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: 

Section 1.  Policy.  Science-based public health measures are critical to preventing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by travelers within the United States and those who enter the country from abroad.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Surgeon General, and the National Institutes of Health have concluded that mask-wearing, physical distancing, appropriate ventilation, and timely testing can mitigate the risk of travelers spreading COVID-19.  Accordingly, to save lives and allow all Americans, including the millions of people employed in the transportation industry, to travel and work safely, it is the policy of my Administration to implement these public health measures consistent with CDC guidelines on public modes of transportation and at ports of entry to the United States.   

Sec. 2.  Immediate Action to Require Mask-Wearing on Certain Domestic Modes of Transportation.

(a)  Mask Requirement.   The Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Secretary of Transportation (including through the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)), the Secretary of Homeland Security (including through the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard), and the heads of any other executive departments and agencies (agencies) that have relevant regulatory authority (heads of agencies) shall immediately take action, to the extent appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to require masks to be worn in compliance with CDC guidelines in or on: 

(i)    airports; 

(ii)   commercial aircraft; 

(iii)  trains; 

(iv)   public maritime vessels, including ferries; 

(v)    intercity bus services; and

(vi)   all forms of public transportation as defined in section 5302 of title 49, United States Code.

(b)  Consultation.   In implementing this section, the heads of agencies shall consult, as appropriate, with interested parties, including State, local, Tribal, and territorial officials; industry and union representatives from the transportation sector; and consumer representatives.

(c)  Exceptions.   The heads of agencies may make categorical or case-by-case exceptions to policies developed under this section, consistent with applicable law, to the extent that doing so is necessary or required by law.  If the heads of agencies do make exceptions, they shall require alternative and appropriate safeguards, and shall document all exceptions in writing.

(d)  Preemption.  To the extent permitted by applicable law, the heads of agencies shall ensure that any action taken to implement this section does not preempt State, local, Tribal, and territorial laws or rules imposing public health measures that are more protective of public health than those required by the heads of agencies. 

(e)  Coordination.  The Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response and Counselor to the President (COVID-19 Response Coordinator) shall coordinate the implementation of this section.  The heads of agencies shall update the COVID-19 Response Coordinator on their progress in implementing this section, including any categorical exceptions established under subsection (c) of this section, within 7 days of the date of this order and regularly thereafter.  The heads of agencies are encouraged to bring to the attention of the COVID-19 Response Coordinator any questions regarding the scope or implementation of this section.

Sec. 3.  Action to Implement Additional Public Health Measures for Domestic Travel. 

(a)  Recommendations.   The Secretary of Transportation (including through the Administrator of the FAA) and the Secretary of Homeland Security (including through the Administrator of the TSA and the Commandant of the Coast Guard), in consultation with the Director of CDC, shall promptly provide to the COVID-19 Response Coordinator recommendations concerning how their respective agencies may impose additional public health measures for domestic travel.

(b)  Consultation.   In implementing this section, the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall engage with interested parties, including State, local, Tribal, and territorial officials; industry and union representatives from the transportation sector; and consumer representatives.  

Sec. 4.  Support for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Authorities.  The COVID-19 Response Coordinator, in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation and the heads of any other relevant agencies, shall promptly identify and inform agencies of options to incentivize, support, and encourage widespread mask-wearing and physical distancing on public modes of transportation, consistent with CDC guidelines and applicable law.

Sec. 5.  International Travel. 

(a)  Policy.   It is the policy of my Administration that, to the extent feasible, travelers seeking to enter the United States from a foreign country shall be: 

(i)   required to produce proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test prior to entry; and 

(ii)  required to comply with other applicable CDC guidelines concerning international travel, including recommended periods of self-quarantine or self-isolation after entry into the United States.

(b)  Air Travel.  

(i)    The Secretary of HHS, including through the Director of CDC, and in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation (including through the Administrator of the FAA) and the Secretary of Homeland Security (including through the Administrator of the TSA), shall, within 14 days of the date of this order, assess the CDC order of January 12, 2021, regarding the requirement of a negative COVID-19 test result for airline passengers traveling into the United States, in light of subsection (a) of this section.  Based on such assessment, the Secretary of HHS and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take any further appropriate regulatory action, to the extent feasible and consistent with CDC guidelines and applicable law.  Such assessment and regulatory action shall include consideration of: 

(A)  the timing and types of COVID-19 tests that should satisfy the negative test requirement, including consideration of additional testing immediately prior to departure; (B)  the proof of test results that travelers should be required to provide; (C)  the feasibility of implementing alternative and sufficiently protective public health measures, such as testing, self-quarantine, and self-isolation on arrival, for travelers entering the United States from countries where COVID-19 tests are inaccessible, particularly where such inaccessibility of tests would affect the ability of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to return to the United States; and (D)  measures to prevent fraud.

(ii)   The Secretary of HHS, in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation (including through the Administrator of the FAA) and the Secretary of Homeland Security (including through the Administrator of the TSA), shall promptly provide to the President, through the COVID-19 Response Coordinator, a plan for how the Secretary and other Federal Government actors could implement the policy stated in subsection (a) of this section with respect to CDC-recommended periods of self-quarantine or self-isolation after a flight to the United States from a foreign country, as he deems appropriate and consistent with applicable law.  The plan shall identify agencies’ tools and mechanisms to assist travelers in complying with such policy.

(iii)  The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of HHS (including through the Director of CDC), the Secretary of Transportation (including through the Administrator of the FAA), and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall seek to consult with foreign governments, the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association, and any other relevant stakeholders to establish guidelines for public health measures associated with safe international travel, including on aircraft and at ports of entry.  Any such guidelines should address quarantine, testing, COVID-19 vaccination, follow-up testing and symptom-monitoring, air filtration requirements, environmental decontamination standards, and contact tracing.  

(c)  Land Travel.  The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of CDC, shall immediately commence diplomatic outreach to the governments of Canada and Mexico regarding public health protocols for land ports of entry.  Based on this diplomatic engagement, within 14 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of HHS (including through the Director of CDC), the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the President a plan to implement appropriate public health measures at land ports of entry.  The plan should implement CDC guidelines, consistent with applicable law, and take into account the operational considerations relevant to the different populations who enter the United States by land.

(d)  Sea Travel.  The Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Commandant of the Coast Guard and in consultation with the Secretary of HHS and the Director of CDC, shall, within 14 days of the date of this order, submit to the President a plan to implement appropriate public health measures at sea ports.  The plan should implement CDC guidelines, consistent with applicable law, and take into account operational considerations.  

(e)  International Certificates of Vaccination or Prophylaxis.  Consistent with applicable law, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of HHS, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (including through the Administrator of the TSA), in coordination with any relevant international organizations, shall assess the feasibility of linking COVID-19 vaccination to International Certificates of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) and producing electronic versions of ICVPs.  

(f)  Coordination.  The COVID-19 Response Coordinator, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, shall coordinate the implementation of this section.  The Secretary of State, the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall update the COVID-19 Response Coordinator on their progress in implementing this section within 7 days of the date of this order and regularly thereafter.  The heads of all agencies are encouraged to bring to the attention of the COVID-19 Response Coordinator any questions regarding the scope or implementation of this section.

Sec. 6.  General Provisions.   (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

THE WHITE HOUSE, January 21, 2021.

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TSA reports 93 percent compliance with vaccine mandate ahead of the holidays

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says the federal employee vaccine mandate won't impact holiday travel, as more than 90 percent of employees have now been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The agency reported that roughly 93 percent of its employees were vaccinated or qualified for an exemption by the Biden administration's Monday deadline , three days before the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Approximately 93 percent of @TSA employees are in compliance with today's deadline for the federal employee vaccine mandate and exemption requirements," TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tweeted Monday as the mandate went into effect.

"The employee vaccine mandate will not impact holiday travel. Happy Thanksgiving!" she added.

Just a month ago, only 60 percent of TSA employees had reported being vaccinated.

TSA screened 2.24 million people in airports on Friday, the highest single-day total since the start of the pandemic, and the agency has reported more than 2 million passengers each day since.

The agency said last week that it expected Thanksgiving air travel this year to return to pre-pandemic levels. Over the weekend, TSA's screening numbers slightly trailed the same days in 2019 but were more than double last year's figures.

Airlines have also been gearing up for the busy holiday travel season by increasing staff levels with the hope of avoiding a repeat of recent delays and cancellations that disrupted travel plans earlier this year.

Even with most TSA employees vaccinated, early holiday travel hasn't been carefree.

An accidental firearm discharge at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Saturday led to a temporary halt in flights as passengers jetted off to their holiday destinations.

Airlines have also been dealing with a steep rise in unruly and aggressive passengers this year.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced it has received close to 300 reports of "passenger disturbances" after involving alcohol consumption as the agency implements a "zero tolerance" policy against unruly behavior.

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Tsa vaccine mandate not affecting holiday travel, officials say.

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The TSA's employee vaccine mandate began Monday for employees. Officials said 93 percent of TSA workers are in compliance with the mandate and exemption requirements.

Unvaccinated People Need to Bear the Burden

Beyond limiting the coronavirus’s flow from hot spots to the rest of the country, allowing only vaccinated people on domestic flights will change minds, too.

When you go to the airport, you see two kinds of security rules. Some apply equally to everyone; no one can carry weapons through the TSA checkpoint. But other protocols divide passengers into categories according to how much of a threat the government thinks they pose. If you submit to heightened scrutiny in advance, TSA PreCheck lets you go through security without taking off your shoes; a no-fly list keeps certain people off the plane entirely. Not everyone poses an equal threat. Rifling through the bags of every business traveler and patting down every preschooler and octogenarian would waste the TSA’s time and needlessly burden many passengers.

The same principle applies to limiting the spread of the coronavirus. The number of COVID-19 cases keeps growing, even though remarkably safe, effective vaccines are widely available, at least to adults. Many public agencies are responding by reimposing masking rules on everyone. But at this stage of the pandemic, tougher universal restrictions are not the solution to continuing viral spread. While flying, vaccinated people should no longer carry the burden for unvaccinated people. The White House has rejected a nationwide vaccine mandate —a sweeping suggestion that the Biden administration could not easily enact if it wanted to—but a no-fly list for unvaccinated adults is an obvious step that the federal government should take. It will help limit the risk of transmission at destinations where unvaccinated people travel—and, by setting norms that restrict certain privileges to vaccinated people, will also help raise the stagnant vaccination rates that are keeping both the economy and society from fully recovering.

Read: The dos and don’ts of hot vax summer

Flying is not a right, and the case for restricting it to vaccinated people is straightforward: The federal government is the sole entity that can regulate the terms and conditions of airline safety. And although air-filtration systems and mask requirements make transmission of the coronavirus unlikely during any given passenger flight, infected people can spread it when they leave the airport and take off their mask. The whole point of international-travel bans is to curb infections in the destination country; to protect itself, the United States still has many such restrictions in place . Beyond limiting the virus’s flow from hot spots to the rest of the country, allowing only vaccinated people on domestic flights will change minds, too.

Polls suggest that vaccine holdouts have a variety of motivations : genuine concerns about side effects; skepticism of shots not yet fully approved by the FDA; a general aversion to vaccines; a desire to stick it to the libs; a reluctance to decide— even now . In a recent New York Times and Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 46 percent of unvaccinated people who consider themselves in the “wait and see” category disclosed that they would stop waiting if they could get a shot from their personal physician. Forty-four percent agreed that the FDA’s full approval of the vaccines would motivate them. And 41 percent said that a prohibition on airline travel would get them closer to their shots. Tellingly, 11 percent of those adamantly opposed to vaccination would also be motivated by a travel ban—a larger effect for these respondents than full FDA approval or the ability to get vaccinated at their doctor’s office would have. More than another recitation of statistics about vaccines’ benefits or yet another appeal to the common good, the deprivation of movement will win over doubters. Some unvaccinated Americans in areas where vaccination seekers face scorn among their peer group may even be happy to have an excuse to protect themselves.

The public debate about making vaccination a precondition for travel, employment, and other activities has described this approach as vaccine mandates , a term that, to conservative critics, suggests that unvaccinated people are being ordered around arbitrarily. What is actually going on, mostly, is that institutions are shifting burdens to unvaccinated people—denying them access to certain spaces, requiring them to take regular COVID-19 tests, charging them for the cost of that testing—rather than imposing greater burdens on everyone . Americans still have a choice to go unvaccinated, but that means giving up on certain societal benefits. Nobody has a constitutional right to attend The Lion King on Broadway or work at Disney or Walmart . Employers and entertainment venues are realizing that they can operate more easily without the hassle of planning around unvaccinated employees and customers. Amid a global health crisis, people who defy public-health guidance are not, and do not deserve to be, a protected class.

David A. Graham: Delta is ruining the summer, and it’s anti-vaxxers’ fault

For the privilege of flying, Americans already give up a lot: We disclose our personal information, toss our water bottles, extinguish our cigarette butts, and lock our guns in checked luggage. For vaccinated people, having to show proof of vaccination when flying would be a minor inconvenience.

The Biden administration could give unvaccinated Americans a brief window in which to get shots. A travel rule that took effect by October would cover those who hope to visit relatives during the holiday season. Vaccine verification and legitimate exceptions for age or preexisting health conditions can be part of airline databases, as are other security features. The current reliance on paper vaccination cards makes for a clumsy system, but better public- and private-sector systems are likely to emerge if employers, entertainment venues, and the TSA all seek to verify individuals’ status. Some people may try to lie and cheat their way around a TSA requirement, but violating federal aviation-safety measures is generally a crime.

Relying so heavily on mask requirements to protect the flying public has had a distinct downside. The duty of preventing viral transmission has fallen to gate agents and flight attendants, who must enforce mask rules, and whom angry passengers have in turn subjected to harassment . Moreover, masks can provide protection only during a flight, but for passengers, the whole point of flying is to take part in life outside the destination airport’s grounds. By requiring proof of vaccination for flights, the U.S. government will better protect society and get out of the business of helping the coronavirus proliferate in another place. People who still want to wait and see about the vaccines can continue doing so. They just can’t keep pushing all the costs on everyone else.

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Statement regarding face mask extension

Following the President’s order and announcement regarding efforts to combat the Omicron variant, TSA, in conjunction with the CDC, will extend the face mask requirement for individuals across all transportation networks throughout the United States, including at airports, onboard commercial aircraft, on over-the-road buses, and on commuter bus and rail systems through March 18, 2022.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske has said frequently the combination of vaccinations and face masks work and are highly effective in terms of slowing the spread of the virus in the transportation system, and they make travel safer for everyone. More details about the extension will be available soon.

Can TSA vaccinate enough screeners before the Thanksgiving travel rush?

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A potential shortage of airport screeners triggered by a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate could mean extra-long queues at airport security checkpoints during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday travel week.

Only about 60% of Transportation Security Administration employees are at least partially vaccinated with about a month to go before the Nov. 22 deadline for federal employees to be fully vaccinated. Federal employees who ignore the mandate face discipline, including being fired, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske told CNN last week that he is “very hopeful” the agency won’t have a worker shortage but said the TSA is preparing contingency plans in case it can’t be avoided.

The agency expects more TSA employees to be vaccinated in the coming weeks, with the hope that “the vast majority of TSA agents will be vaccinated,” a spokesperson said. The agency was unable to say how the vaccination rate for screeners compared with that of employees overall.

A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second shot in a two-dose series, or two weeks after a single-shot vaccine.

“At TSA, we are hosting employee town halls, sending broadcast emails, and posting details on the requirement in break rooms on how and where to upload documents for proof of vaccination status,” TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said.

The risk that the TSA may be forced to fire a large segment of its workforce ahead of the holiday weekend prompted Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer to urge the TSA to develop a contingency plan and increase vaccination rates before Nov. 22. He urged the agency to make greater use of explosive-sniffing dogs to help move the screening lines faster.

“Late last week the TSA hinted at a potential real travel mess as Thanksgiving approaches,” he said during a news conference Sunday. “And that’s because they reported that 40% of their workforce remain unvaccinated from COVID-19.”

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Airlines for America, the trade group that represents most of the country’s airlines, declined to speculate on what effect the vaccine mandate could have on Thanksgiving travel plans, except to say in a statement, “we remain in routine communication with our federal partners to prioritize a safe, seamless travel experience.”

Other government agencies and private businesses are reporting much higher compliance with vaccine mandates.

Several major U.S. air carriers imposed vaccine mandates on their employees months before the Biden administration required all companies that contract with the federal government, including airlines, to impose such mandates.

United Airlines reported that more than 99% of its employees are vaccinated. Delta Air Lines has not imposed a mandate but told employees they face a $200 monthly surcharge if they fail to get vaccinated by Nov. 1. As of last week, 90% of Delta employees were vaccinated.

At the Los Angeles Unified School District, where employees could lose their jobs for defying its vaccine mandate, 99% of classroom teachers and 97% of all employees have complied.

The city of Los Angeles in August adopted a vaccine mandate for all city employees but this week was considering extending its deadline. As of earlier this week, more than 72% of employees reported being either fully or partially vaccinated, according to a city report.

A spokesperson for the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA agents, directed all questions about the vaccination mandate to the TSA. However, the union posted a website update that makes it clear that employees who refuse to get vaccinated are unlikely to win a court challenge against the mandate.

Travel websites and other data suggest that Americans are ready to travel, perhaps in response to an overall decline in COVID-19 cases in many states.

Based on flight searches, the travel website Hopper.com predicted the number of travelers passing through U.S. airports will reach a daily average of 2 million passengers over the holiday weekend, which represents about 80% of 2019 passenger levels but more than double the 2020 levels.

Domestic round-trip airline ticket prices for the Thanksgiving weekend are expected to average $290, down 13% from 2019, with international flights priced at an average of $620, down 17% from 2019. However, Hopper predicts airline prices will begin to surge soon, particularly for international travel after news that the U.S. plans to reopen the country to foreign travelers starting Nov. 8 .

In another analysis, the Adobe Digital Economy Index found that Thanksgiving flight bookings were 2.6% higher in the first two weeks of October than in the same period in 2019.

“The uptick indicates that we may be at the beginning of a surge in holiday bookings,” said Adobe analyst Vivek Pandya.

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Hugo Martín is an assistant editor on the Fast Break Desk, the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news team. He has been a journalist with the Los Angeles Times for more than 30 years, covering politics, transportation, travel, business and the outdoors. A native Californian, Martín was part of the Metro staff that won Pulitzer Prizes in 1993, 1995 and 1998. He is an avid outdoorsman, a proud father and die-hard Lakers fan.

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TSA: Vaccine mandate for federal workers won't impact holiday travel

Holiday travel surge.

Tens of millions of people are expected to hit the roads and take to the skies this holiday season. While the volume is still before pre-pandemic levels, it has increased significantly since last year.

NEW YORK - The federal Transportation and Security Administration, which oversees security checkpoints at U.S. airports, anticipates a surge in travelers this week due to the holidays but doesn't expect the Biden administration's vaccinate mandate for federal workers to impact travel.

"Approximately 93% of @TSA employees are in compliance with today’s deadline for the federal employee vaccine mandate and exemption requirements," TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tweeted Monday morning. "The employee vaccine mandate will not impact holiday travel. Happy Thanksgiving!"

The vaccine mandate requires more than 3.5 million federal employees to have gotten either at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or an approved exemption by Nov. 22. 

A senior administration official told Fox News on Monday that the Biden administration has achieved 95% compliance across the federal government. That means that employees have either had at least a first dose or have pending or approved exception or extension requests. The official said that more than 90% of those employees have had at least one shot, with "the vast majority of those employees being fully vaccinated."

RELATED: Is traveling safe during the pandemic this holiday season?

TSA said it expects to screen about 20 million passengers during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, which runs from Friday, Nov. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 28. 

"We anticipate that travel may be very close to pre-pandemic levels this holiday, and we are staffed and prepared for the holiday travelers," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. "We have deployed technologies that enhance detection capabilities and reduce physical contact, and it's equally important that passengers are prepared with travel tips for the most efficient checkpoint experience."

An airport security checkpoint. (TSA handout)

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TSA vaccine mandate on busy travel day

The federal worker's vaccine mandate was in effect on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

TSA is also reminding travelers that wearing a mask is required under the federal mask mandate — and not just in airports and on planes.

"Everyone in airports, bus and rail stations, on passenger aircraft, public transportation, passenger railroads, and over-the-road buses operating on scheduled fixed-routes must wear a mask," TSA said in a statement. "If a traveler did not bring a mask, a TSA officer will offer a mask to that individual at the screening checkpoint."

The mask mandate applies to travelers, TSA personnel, airport employees, and other aviation workers.

AAA predicts that more than 53.4 million people will travel this year in what will be the highest single-year increase since 2005. Travel for the holiday, AAA noted, is up 13% from 2020, bringing volumes within 5% of pre-pandemic levels.

"With overall vaccination rates improving nationwide and greater confidence in healthy travel, there will be more people traveling," TSA's Pekoske said. "So plan ahead, remain vigilant and practice kindness."

With Fox News .

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US extends air travel COVID-19 vaccine mandate for international visitors

President biden originally issued covid-19 mandate proclamation for international travelers who are not citizens in october 2021.

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The U.S. government has quietly issued an extension to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for foreign travelers.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued the extension of vaccine mandates that will last until April 10, 2023.

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President Biden issued the original proclamation mandating COVID-19 vaccination in Oct. 25, 2021. The mandate was intended to replace prior policies restricting travelers based on their country of origin.

Claire Altieri, senior associate of Concentric by Ginkgo, sets up a testing site for COVID-19 variants at Tom Bradley International Terminal (Terminal B) at the Los Angeles airport on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"Together with the Presidential Proclamation and the CDC Order, these policies are intended to limit the risk that COVID-19, including variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, is introduced, transmitted, and spread into and throughout the United States, potentially overwhelming United States healthcare and public health resources, endangering the health and safety of the American people, and threatening the security of our civil aviation system," the TSA wrote.

US EXTENDS COVID PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY WEEKS AFTER BIDEN DECLARED PANDEMIC 'OVER'

In October, the U.S. government extended the public health emergency status for the COVID-19 pandemic, weeks after President Biden's controversial remarks declaring the pandemic was "over."

Travelers make their way through Orlando International Airport during the busy Christmas holiday season on Dec. 28, 2022, in Florida. (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The move extends the order through Jan. 11, 2023, as health officials warn once more of a winter surge. 

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President Biden had said during a television interview ahead of the midterm elections that the COVID-19 pandemic "is over."

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FOX Business' Julia Musto contributed to this report.