US Covid vaccine requirement for international travelers to end on May 11

In the United States, the Covid-19 vaccine requirement for international travellers will end on May 11, and the coronavirus public health emergency will also terminate on the same day, the White House said in an official statement. 

“Today, we are announcing that the Administration will end the Covid-19 vaccine requirements for federal employees, federal contractors, and international air travellers at the end of the day on May 11, the same day that the Covid-19 public health emergency ends,” the statement read. 

The United States Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Homeland Security on Monday announced that they will start the process to end their vaccination requirements for Head Start educators, CMS-certified healthcare facilities, and certain noncitizens at the land border. 

It stated that further details related to ending these requirements will be provided in the coming days, according to the news agency ANI. 

The White House recalled the 2021 time when the Biden-Harris Administration announced Covid-19 vaccination requirements to promote the health and safety of individuals and the efficiency of workplaces, protecting vital sectors of our economy and vulnerable populations.

"Since January 2021, Covid-19 deaths have declined by 95%, and hospitalizations are down nearly 91%, the White House said. 

Following a whole-of-government effort that led to a record number of nearly 270 million Americans receiving at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, we are in a different phase of our response to Covid-19 than we were when many of these requirements were put into place, the image read as quoted by ANI. 

US administration's vaccination requirements helped ensure the safety of workers in critical workforces including those in the healthcare and education sectors, protecting themselves and the populations they serve, and strengthening their ability to provide services without disruptions to operations, the statement added. 

The Federal government successfully implemented requirements for its workforce in a way that increased vaccination to achieve 98% compliance, reflecting employees who had received at least one dose of a vaccine or had a pending or approved exception or extension request filed by January 2022.

“We also put in place vaccination requirements for certain international travellers to slow the spread of new variants entering the country and to allow our healthcare system time to effectively manage access to care if faced with an increase in cases and hospitalizations,” the White House's statement read. 

(With ANI inputs)