Eager travelers and their relatives rejoiced, wept and breathed sighs of relief Monday as the United States reopened to vaccinated visitors, ending 20 months of Covid-19 restrictions that separated families, hobbled tourism and strained diplomatic ties.
From Rainbow Bridge at the US-Canada border to Mexico’s Tijuana crossing at San Ysidro, California, cars, motor homes and masked pedestrians clogged entry points from before dawn for highly anticipated reunions.
In Europe, passengers lined up excitedly at airports to board planes bound for American cities, while those entering the country by land — some lugging suitcases or pushing bag-filled strollers under the watchful eyes of border patrol agents — faced hours-long waits.
As soon as she spotted her son at the New York airport, Alison Henry rushed towards him and gave him a long hug, tears welling up in her eyes.
The ban, imposed by then-president Donald Trump in early 2020 and upheld by his successor Joe Biden, had become emblematic of the upheavals caused by the pandemic.
A month later, he extended the ban to large swathes of the world, including the European Union, Britain, India and Brazil, and subsequently to overland visitors from Mexico and Canada.
At London’s Heathrow Airport, two planes from rivals British Airways and Virgin Atlantic heading to New York took off at the same time from parallel runways to mark the occasion.
Louise Erebara was waiting at JFK for the arrival of her only sister and brother-in-law.
“It’s been terrible not knowing when we were going to see them again due to Covid, not knowing if the borders were ever going to open,” she told AFP.
Dulles airport outside the US capital was also filled with happy reunited families Monday as well as professionals getting back on the road again.
The border reopening “allows for reconnecting with people in a meeting room, in person… reconnecting with teams we’re used to working with via videoconference,” he said after landing in Washington.
“I’ve missed half her life as she’s three-and-a-half. I’ll make it up to her.”
“We were penalized, and I missed a lot of things. I missed the birth of one of my granddaughters,” she said.
Along the US-Mexico border, many cities faced economic struggles due to anti-Covid-19 trade restrictions.
“Well, because of the disease, it was necessary,” said Herminia Urieta, who traveled three days from Guerrero, in southern Mexico, to visit a sister she has not seen since the beginning of the pandemic.
To the United States’ north, Canadian retirees known as “snowbirds” headed across the border in droves, fleeing winter weather for Florida and other balmy climates.
“It’s been two years since we went to Florida and we didn’t want to wait another day,” they said.
Lifting the travel ban will affect more than 30 countries, but US entry will not be unregulated.
Starting Monday, vaccines will be required for “non-essential” trips – including family visits or tourism — although unvaccinated travelers will still be allowed in for “essential” trips.
US health authorities have said all vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization would be accepted for entry by air.
For 63-year-old Mexican grandmother Isabel Gonzalez, her 20-month wait to hug her San Diego-based children ended Monday when she walked from Tijuana into California.
