The United States will continue to require foreigners arriving from Mexico and Canada by ferry or land to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported Thursday.
The requirement, which applies to foreigners arriving at land border crossings and ferry terminals for “essential and non-essential reasons,” explicitly excludes travelers who are US citizens or legal residents of this country, a report details. from the agency EFE.
The notice clarifies that testing for COVID-19 is not a requirement to enter the United States through a land border post or ferry terminal.
The government “is committed to protecting public health while seeking to facilitate legitimate travel and trade, which are essential to our economy,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas was quoted as saying by the news release.
Foreign travelers must continue to verbally declare their COVID-19 vaccination status and, if asked, must show proof of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-approved vaccine.
They may also present a valid Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative compliance document such as a valid passport, and be prepared to present other relevant documents requested at border inspection.
“The continuation of these requirements helps protect the health and safety of both border personnel and other travelers, as well as the communities to which travelers are headed,” the statement said.
Government will appeal ruling against masks in transport
The US Department of Justice announced this Wednesday that it will appeal a court ruling that annulled the order to wear a mask on public transport in the country, with the aim of restoring that measure, another report from EFE.
Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley announced in a tweet that the agency will appeal the case to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Atlanta, Georgia, with a conservative majority.
The decision of the Department of Justice came shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assured that they still consider necessary the mandate that, until this Monday, forced to wear face masks on planes, trains or buses. , says the agency.
“The CDC continues to believe that, at this time, an order requiring the use of face coverings on indoor transportation remains necessary for public health,” the agency said in a statement Wednesday.
New Statement on Mask Mandate Ruling pic.twitter.com/SwYHIqTG2e
— Anthony Coley (@AnthonyColeyDOJ) April 19, 2022
The centers added that, in their opinion, the order was in accordance with their “legal authority to protect public health”, after a federal judge in Florida overturned the mandate and accused the CDC of “exceeding” its powers.
As a result of the order issued this Monday by Justice Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, the authorities and airlines of the United States immediately stopped mandating the wearing of face masks on board planes and other means of public transport, as well as in airports and stations.
The Department of Justice had advanced this Tuesday that it would appeal the decision in the event that the CDC determined that the mask mandate was still “necessary for public health”, something that agency did this Wednesday.
Before the judge’s decision, the CDC had extended until May 3 the mandatory use of masks in all public transport networks, due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the BA.2 subvariant.
Despite the appeal announcement from the Department of Justice, the Florida judge’s ruling remains in force and at least for the moment there is no obligation to wear face masks in those places, although the CDC recommends that they be used.
The court decision has generated jubilation among many Americans, but also anxiety for those who are concerned about the impact on vulnerable or immunosuppressed people of the COVID-19 pandemic, which still kills about 425 people a day in the United States.
Some supporters of the mask mandate had warned that appealing the decision could be counterproductive, because higher courts have conservative majorities and could issue rulings that constrain the CDC’s authority in the future.
“It’s tempting to appeal, because this decision is ridiculous, but we have to preserve the CDC’s ability to act in case we have a big outbreak of cases in the fall or winter,” former White House adviser on COVID-19 said Tuesday. Andy Slavitt, to the newspaper New York Times.
EFE / OnCuba
