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The United States has lifted a travel ban on fully vaccinated international tourists from 33 countries. Under the new rules, travelers arriving by air must test negative for COVID-19 before boarding their flight and show proof they are fully vaccinated. Those who arrive by land or ferry do not have to get tested for the virus but must prove they have been vaccinated.
Airlines are bracing for a massive influx of travelers looking to head to the United States for the first time in nearly 20 months. Officials said that travelers can expect some delays due to the new requirements.
"It's going to be a bit sloppy at first, I can assure you," Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said at a conference last month, according to CNN. "There will be lines, unfortunately," he said, citing "an onslaught of travel all at once."
People in the U.S. are excited to see relatives that have been stuck overseas during the global pandemic.
"It's everything. We can't thank British Airways enough," Louise Erebara told USA Today.
She said the airline paid for the flight for her sister and her husband, who she had not seen in over 700 days.
"They want to reunite ex-pats, and they're doing it," Erebara said.
Emma Barbour, who was waiting to board a Florida-bound flight in Paris, told USA Today she is finally taking her ten-year-old daughter to Disney World after their original trip had to be canceled and rescheduled three times over the past year-and-half.
"We honestly wouldn't travel if we felt unsafe or nervous. We are fully vaccinated and will wear our masks. I definitely won't let it tarnish our time there by worrying about it," she said