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US reopens borders, families tearfully reunited, after 20 months of Covid-19 restrictions
- Vaccinated visitors allowed into the country, ending constraints on movement
- First passengers arriving at JFK airport enter terminal to cheers and applause
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Anxious travellers and their relatives have rejoiced, wept and breathed sighs of relief as the US 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 on November 8 from before dawn for eagerly anticipated reunions.
At airports and other US ports of entry, reunited relatives hugged as many met for the first time since the coronavirus swept the globe, leaving more than five million people dead and devastating economies.
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Smiling passengers from the first European flight to land under the new rules at New York’s John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport said it was great to be back as they entered the terminal to cheers and applause.
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At airports in Europe, passengers queued excitedly 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 wait times.
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.
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