Long Waiting Times at EU and US Airports From Monday

 

On Monday, November 8, travellers from the 26 Schengen Area countries, Ireland and the United Kingdom, who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, will finally be able to travel to the United States after almost 20 months of being banned from entering the country. 

However, travellers who plan to travel to the US in November, in particular those travelling this week, have been warned that long waiting lines at both EU and US airports are ahead of them.

Security delays are likely over the coming hours. Allow extra time for transit through the airport. 

U.S. companies with 100 or more employees must make sure their workforce is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or see that they test negative for the virus at least once per week, according to rules issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Thursday.

The requirement, naturally, will have implications for corporate travel. While the emergency standard does not apply to employees working from home or who do not otherwise report to a workplace where other employees are present, they would have to provide negative test documentation if reporting to an office, even for a simple task such as attending a meeting or printing documents.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also issued a rule on Thursday requiring U.S. healthcare workers to be vaccinated. Companies that contract with the federal government—which include the major U.S. airlines—already are facing an employee vaccination requirement with the deadline of Dec. 8.