Unvaccinated UK travellers can enter US from next week
Travellers who have not had coronavirus vaccinations will be permitted to enter the US from next week.
The White House announced that its requirement for arrivals by air to prove their vaccination status will be dropped from May 12.
In November 2021, the US relaxed its coronavirus border rules to permit visitors from countries such as the UK as long as they were vaccinated.
That requirement will be dropped at the end of the day on May 11, when the US “Covid-19 public health emergency” ends, according to the White House.
It said in a statement that “we are in a different phase of our response to Covid-19”, with global deaths from the virus “at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic”.
A spokeswoman for airline Virgin Atlantic said: “The relaxation of the vaccination requirement for foreign nationals removes barriers for frictionless travel to the USA, our heartland for nearly 40 years.
“It will give a boost to transatlantic customer demand as a busy summer approaches.
“Virgin Atlantic has now resumed services to all of its 12 transatlantic destinations.”