Team Biden planning to mandate vaccination for all visiting foreigners

As the Delta variant of the coronavirus, continues to rapidly spread its wings across the United States, President Joe Biden’s administration is planning to mandate vaccinations for all foreign visitors to the country, barring a few expectations, according to US media reports.

The plan is still in the early phases of development and there is no imminent announcement date in sight, a White House official confirmed to CNN on Wednesday.

The travel restrictions currently in place will also not be changed in the near future due to the spread of Delta variant cases across the globe, an official reportedly cautioned. 

However, officials from a variety of federal agencies have been continually assessing the existing travel restrictions and are working on a strategy to eliminate them when the time comes, according to CNN reports.

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According to the said White House official, eliminating travel restrictions would require all foreign nationals travelling to the US from all countries to be fully vaccinated, with limited exceptions, though a final plan has not been determined.

The White House was facing growing pressure last month from the travel industry and US allies to lift restrictions on who can travel into the US. But ultimately, the Biden administration decided to keep existing travel restrictions in place.

The Delta variant now accounts for more than 90% of coronavirus circulating in the US, according to data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

States like Louisiana and California have decided to reinstate the mask mandate citing the concerns emerging from the Delta variant of COVID-19. The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention also reviewed its masking recommendation earlier this month and recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission to use face coverings, even if they were fully vaccinated against the disease.