U.S. to require COVID vaccines for essential workers crossing borders
Reuters
1/20/2022
© Reuters/Dado Ruvic
FILE PHOTO: Syringes with needles are seen in front of a displayed stock graph and words "Omicron SARS-CoV-2" in this illustration taken
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is announcing Thursday it is requiring that non-U.S. essential workers such as truck drivers and nurses who are crossing land borders be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, effective Saturday.
The Biden administration first announced in October that effective Nov. 8 it would again allow non-essential foreign visitors to travel from Canada and Mexico into the U.S. across land borders if they were vaccinated.
The U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico had been closed to non-essential travel for 20 months because of COVID-19 concerns.
DHS is announcing on Thursday it is extending those requirements to essential workers who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
Video: As many refugees in Charlotte still waiting for resources, community members pitch in (WCNC-TV Charlotte)
-
Musician says he's a proud gun owner, but canceled on NRA anyway
CNN -
Texas police struggle to explain response to school shooter
CNN -
Australia Vows No-Strings Pacific Ties
Bloomberg -
'Top Gun' from 1986 to 2022
CNN -
‘Tools of war’: GOP’s obsession with guns reveals major weakness within the party
MSNBC -
Horrific Texas mass shooting reveals GOP’s weakness ahead of midterms
MSNBC -
After Texas massacre, GOP pushes false narrative in support of guns
MSNBC -
U.S. schools spending millions to ramp up security following Texas school shooting
CBS News -
Criticism over police response to Texas school shooting
CBS News -
Joyce Vance on the possibility of repealing the Second Amendment
MSNBC -
Swalwell: Show America where Republicans stand on guns
MSNBC -
More Americans plan to travel over Memorial Day
Associated Press -
How President Biden and Congress can address gun violence
CBS News -
Law enforcment faces scrutiny over response to Texas school shooting
CBS News -
Parents discuss grim reality of difficult talks with kids about school shootings
NBC News -
Sexual assault charges against Kevin Spacey authorized by British prosecutors in UK
USA TODAY
-
Musician says he's a proud gun owner, but canceled on NRA anyway Grammy Award-winning country singer Larry Gatlin joins CNN's Pamela Brown to discuss why he dropped out of performing at the NRA convention in Houston.
CNN
-
Texas police struggle to explain response to school shooter CNN's Ed Lavandera reports on the law enforcement's shifting timeline of the response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.
-
Australia Vows No-Strings Pacific Ties Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has promised a "no strings attached" program of aid and assistance to Pacific island nations in what appears to be a reference to China's diplomatic courtship of the region. Paul Allen reports on Bloomberg Television.
Bloomberg
Starting Saturday DHS "will require that non-U.S. individuals entering the United States via land ports of entry or ferry terminals along our Northern and Southern borders be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and prepared to show related proof of vaccination," said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Unlike air travelers, people crossing land borders are not required to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test.
On Jan. 15, Canada imposed its own vaccine mandate for U.S. truck drivers crossing the Canadian border.
Because more than two-thirds of the C$650 billion ($521 billion) in goods traded annually between Canada and the United States travels on roads, truckers were deemed essential workers until now and traveled freely even when the Canadian border was closed for 20 months.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the mandate on Wednesday that was announced in November, saying Canada was "aligned" with the United States, its largest trading partner.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Reuters
