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Post last updated: August 24th, 2022
Both domestic and international travel policies have evolved a lot in the U.S. over the past few years due to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis.
While the U.S. relaxed international travel restrictions in November 2021, we later saw some put back in place due to the emerging strain known as B.1.1.529 or the “Omicron” variant. But things have only continued to change over the past few months. If you’ll be traveling anytime soon, we’re taking a look at all the current restrictions and advisories you’ll need to know about!
What We Know About the Omicron Variant
According to an article shared by the World Health Organization (WHO), the “Omicron” variant was first reported to health officials on November 24th, 2021 from South Africa.
While more is still being learned about the strain, the WHO has deemed it a “variant of concern,” as some of the strain’s mutations have been found to be concerning and “preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection” compared to previous COVID-19 strains.
Since the first case that was reported in November, the Omicron variant has been found in a minimum of 190 nations as of June 1st, 2022 as reported by the New York Times.
The new strain was officially found in the US on December 1st, 2021, with the first confirmed case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant identified in California, according to CNN. More cases have since been identified in all other states.
The spread has also led the U.S. to set several global daily records of COVID-19 cases, with more than 1 million cases being reported on Monday, January 3rd, 2022 as shared by Newsweek.
A subvariant of Omicron — BA.2 — which was previously dubbed “stealth” Omicron was detected. It was first detected in Denmark and has since been detected in other countries. Cases of the “stealth” Omicron subvariant were previously detected in Florida.
Click here to learn more about the “stealth” Omicron subvariant
A newer subvariant (BA.2.12.1) of Omicron later became more prevalent.
BA.2.12.1 is a highly transmissible subvariant and could be 25% more transmissible than BA.2.
Wondering what you need to know about the BA.2.12.1 subvariant? Click here for our full post.
Since that time, other COVID-19 variants became more prevalent in the U.S. and around the world. As of late August 2022, the CDC reports that over 88% of COVID-19 cases are now from the BA.5 subvariant.
The BA.5 subvariant appears to be the most transmissible variant yet and one of the most capable versions of the virus at being able to evade immunity.
Click here to see everything you need to know about the BA.5 variant
In terms of what’s going on in Florida, in early May of 2022, COVID-19 hospitalizations were increasing in Florida. According to The New York Times, as of late August 2022, COVID-19 case numbers have been decreasing in Florida (compared to the numbers from 2 weeks ago). Deaths have increased slightly, but hospitalizations have decreased.
In mid-April of 2022, Dr. Anthony Fauci indicated that the U.S. was no longer in a “full-blown pandemic phase.”
While that doesn’t mean that the pandemic is over, Dr. Fauci has indicated that the country is in a sort of transitional phase. Though case numbers have changed since he made that statement.
Click here to see more about Dr. Fauci’s comments
As of May 12th, 2022, NBC News did report that COVID cases were surging again in the U.S. Some warned that a summer surge would be possible, while others thought cases could surge later in the year.
As of late July 2022, the New York Times shared that the U.S. was in the middle of a COVID-19 surge, due to the impact of the BA.5 subvariant.
Click here to see more of the initial thoughts surrounding a summer COVID-19 surge is on the way
Current Travel Restrictions
U.S. International Travel Restrictions
Before the Omicron variant had been identified in the U.S., President Biden did implement international travel restrictions for those coming from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi that began on November 29th, 2021. However, the White House later revoked its travel ban against these countries.
On December 28th, 2021, a new proclamation was issued that revoked the previous proclamation that instituted the travel bans. According to the new proclamation, the travel bans were initially put in place to “slow the spread” of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. But the proclamation notes that since that time the nation’s health officials have made progress in understanding the Omicron COVID-19 variant and Omicron has spread to more than 100 countries, with the United States being one of them.
Thus, as of December 31st, 2021, at 12:01AM ET, the travel bans against the south African countries were lifted.
These international travel restrictions would have joined others that have been in place since the U.S. reopened its borders to those who are fully vaccinated on November 8th, 2021.
If you have plans to travel outside of the U.S., it is also important to know the international travel policies for the country that you will be visiting. You can learn more about those here.
Previously, all international travelers (including U.S. citizens) had to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test regardless of vaccination status. Both those who are considered fully vaccinated (2 weeks after receiving the final dose of the vaccine) and those who are unvaccinated had to show proof of a negative test that was taken no more than one day before traveling. That requirement has since ended and proof of a negative COVID-19 test is no longer required for those flying to the U.S.
Non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. immigrants traveling to the U.S. by air, however, must continue to show proof of being fully vaccinated (unless they meet certain requirements).
These restrictions can be found on the CDC website.
The CDC also recommends that all travelers then test for COVID-19 3-5 days after travel, though this is not required.
The CDC now notes that individuals should make sure they’re “up to date” with their COVID-19 vaccines before traveling internationally.
The CDC shares that “up to date” means a person has “received all doses in the primary series and all boosters recommended for [them], when eligible.” It differs from the definition of “fully vaccinated” by including those boosters.
While these restrictions and recommendations have been in place for a bit now, they could continue to change.
CDC Travel Restrictions and Recommendations
The CDC has worked closely with the U.S. government to provide recommendations for international travel restrictions, according to The Washington Post.
All restrictions and recommendations are subject to change.
State of Florida Travel Restrictions
When it comes to travel restrictions in the state of Florida, there are currently none in place. It is unlikely that this will change as more is discovered about the Omicron variant (and its subvariants), as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated in a press conference that “the threat of a new worrisome COVID mutation won’t change his pledge to stand firm against lockdowns and vaccine mandates.”
On December 7th, 2021, Spectrum News 13 reported that Florida had reported its first cases of Omicron and, later on, cases more than doubled in the state according to the Herald-Tribune.
Again, as we noted above, as of late August 2022, hospitalizations had been decreasing slightly in Florida, but deaths had increased a bit.
Other Travel Restrictions
If you’re planning on traveling to Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii, you’ll want to stay up to date on their travel restrictions. Previously, the state was considering requiring travelers seeking to use their vaccine status to be exempt from the mandatory quarantine requirements in the state to be up-to-date on booster shots.
According to USA Today, however, Governor David Ige later indicated that the government decided against requiring boosters.
In fact, Hawaii’s Safe Travels program ended on March 26th, 2022. Because this program has ended, there are no COVID-related travel requirements for domestic guests going to Hawaii. You can see more about this change here. International guests, however, should still check for any applicable restrictions.
Over in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Disneyland closed for a period of time due to COVID-19 restrictions. Hong Kong Disneyland has since reopened.
Additionally, Hong Kong banned international flights from 8 countries in early January. These bans were set to last 2 weeks. These bans may be extended or rules for visiting Hong Kong may be updated. Specific requirements can vary — click here to visit the Hong Kong website for the latest information.
Disneyland Paris has also since dropped its COVID-19 vaccine requirement. And mask rules have changed in Disneyland Paris.
In March of 2022, Shanghai Disneyland closed due to COVID-19. It later reopened partially and has since more fully reopened.
Disney Cruise Line previously updated certain policies regarding masks, recent recovery from COVID-19, and sailings to Canada.
It has also now announced an update regarding COVID-19 vaccinations.
Click here to see a COMPLETE GUIDE to COVID-19 testing and the boarding process for Disney Cruise Line
The CDC has added certain travel destinations to their “high” or Level 3 risk category. Level 3 is where you’ll find countries with the highest risk of COVID-19. In July of 2022, more destinations were added to that “high” risk category. And more locations got added in August.
Click here to see more about the travel destinations in this “high” risk category
Travel restrictions and rules have also changed on various major cruise lines. Be sure to check and see what rules apply ahead of your trips.
Note that the travel restrictions, rules, regulations, or recommendations that apply in specific countries or within specific states in the United States can vary and change.
- Click here to see information about international travel policies and restrictions from CNN
- Click here to see information from CNN about state COVID-19-related rules; you can visit the links for each individual state to see what updated rules apply
Other Travel Advisories
Aside from current travel restrictions, several health organizations have also announced travel advisories for select groups of people.
For example, the WHO previously issued a statement advising the following: “Persons who are unwell, or who have not been fully vaccinated or do not have proof of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and are at increased risk of developing severe disease and dying, including people 60 years of age or older or those with comorbidities that present increased risk of severe COVID-19 (e.g. heart disease, cancer and diabetes) should be advised to postpone travel to areas with community transmission.” (Note that this was from November 2021)
Previously, both the CDC and State Department had upgraded their travel advisory for Canada to Level 4 due to the growing spread of the Omicron variant, meaning that a ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory was in place for those traveling from the U.S., according to Yahoo News. Now, that situation has changed. The U.S. Department of State now notes that Canada is at Level 1 (the lowest level) and indicates that individuals should “Exercise normal precautions in Canada.”
Note that the CDC’s mask recommendations have changed and the CDC has an updated method for looking at community levels for COVID-19 in the U.S. The recommendations from the CDC regarding the wearing of masks differ depending on the community level of a particular area. For example, in those communities in the “high” level, the CDC recommends that all individuals (regardless of vaccination status) wear a mask indoors in public.
Orange County, Florida is in the “medium” level, whereas Osceola County, Florida is in the “high” category.
The U.S. mask requirement for planes and other public transportation was extended through May 3rd, 2022. But the situation surrounding this mask mandate has become a bit more complex.
A federal judge in Florida struck down the CDC’s mask mandate for travel. The TSA then said that it would not enforce the mask mandate for travel. Following that decision, airports (including ones like Orlando International Airport), some airlines, Uber, Disney World, and Disneyland all updated their mask requirements.
But mask requirements could change again. The CDC has made a determination that the travel mask requirement remains necessary for public health. As a result, the Biden administration has indicated that they will be appealing the Judge’s order.
According to NPR, the Justice Department has since filed a document with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asking the court to reverse the order that struck down the travel mask mandate. Reuters reported that a group of states expressed to the federal court that the CDC, in their view, does not have the authority to set a nationwide mask mandate for transportation.
According to The New York Times, Pfizer-BioNTech has shared that the COVID-19 booster shot provides “significant protection against Omicron,” while two doses “may not be sufficient to protect against infection,” though evidence suggests that it may offer “protection against severe disease.” The booster shot is now recommended to be administered five months after the second dose of the vaccine, according to the latest CDC update.
The recommendations on face masks etc. are in addition to encouraging anyone 5 years and older to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and encouraging anyone eligible to receive a booster shot.
Some companies are even working on new boosters that target specific variants. According to CNBC, clinical data has shown that a new Moderna vaccine (which is designed to target a few different mutations) “produced a stronger immune response against the major virus variants, including omicron and delta, than the company’s current shots.” CBS News reports that updated booster shots that help target Omicron’s newest variants could be ready by September 2022.
CNN reports that Moderna and Pfizer have made applications to the FDA for use of their updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters.
Of course, this is a developing story, so be sure to check back with AllEars for more of the latest travel updates to know before you make your way to Disney World!
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