Flying to the US May 2021

rorrissey · 19-01-2021 11:00pm #1

My boyfriend's brother is getting married on the 5th of June and I am to be a bridesmaid at it. I'm starting to think I won't be able to attend at all. I haven't seen my boyfriend's brother and his fiancée in over a year because of the travel ban.

If the ban isn't lifted by then, which I assume it won't be, what would my options be? Has anyone travelled via a country that isn't on the list?

(Obviously I intend on isolating and all that jazz, it goes without saying really.)

channelsurfer2 · 20-01-2021 6:00pm

you wont get away with it to be honest. CBP will realise you are from a country on the list and refuse entry.

SweetSand · 20-01-2021 8:17pm

channelsurfer2 wrote: »

you wont get away with it to be honest. CBP will realise you are from a country on the list and refuse entry.

That is not true at all. It doesn’t matter which country you are from as long as you haven’t been in the country from the list in the last 2 weeks. Friend of ours flew to States only few weeks ago. She flew Dublin to Cancun (I think via Paris), stayed for 2 weeks in Cancun and flew to Boston. I know people flying via Turkey as well, again, spending 2 weeks there between flying from EU to US.
It is hard to know what will happen by May. Biden did say that to fight COVID he wants stricter travel restrictions so we just have to wait and see.

rorrissey · 21-01-2021 3:17am

SweetSand wrote: »

That is not true at all. It doesn’t matter which country you are from as long as you haven’t been in the country from the list in the last 2 weeks. Friend of ours flew to States only few weeks ago. She flew Dublin to Cancun (I think via Paris), stayed for 2 weeks in Cancun and flew to Boston. I know people flying via Turkey as well, again, spending 2 weeks there between flying from EU to US.
It is hard to know what will happen by May. Biden did say that to fight COVID he wants stricter travel restrictions so we just have to wait and see.

Thanks for that info, good to know that your friend managed to get over. I suppose it is too soon to know, but I'm just trying to get an idea of dates in my head because of course I'll be self isolating before the wedding.

Coybig_ · 21-01-2021 7:49pm

I personally think May will end up being too soon for any possibility of direct travel to USA.

Obviously you can do the Cancun thing, I also know somebody who has done that and is actually there isolating right now, but most people wouldn't be willing to dump 2 weeks annual leave into that. Unless you were on full work from home and didn't have to go into the workplace or office at all?

For what it's worth (which is absolutely nothing really, just my own speculative opinion) I think travel to the United States will be possible again around September or October, only if you are vaccinated.

Fathom · 21-01-2021 11:44pm

rorrissey wrote: »

My boyfriend's brother is getting married on the 5th of June and I am to be a bridesmaid at it. I'm starting to think I won't be able to attend at all.

Not likely. The new COVID-19 variation hitting the US now is spreading faster than the original. Over 400,000 dead January 19, 2021 and climbing by almost 4 thousand a day.

rorrissey wrote: »

Has anyone travelled via a country that isn't on the list?

Not a cool idea to discuss on the United States forum.

rorrissey · 24-01-2021 12:56am

Fathom wrote: »

Not likely. The new COVID-19 variation hitting the US now is spreading faster than the original. Over 400,000 dead January 19, 2021 and climbing by almost 4 thousand a day.

Not a cool idea to discuss on the United States forum.

Sorry, my bad, I didn't realise it was a touchy subject.

Fathom · 04-02-2021 11:09pm

rorrissey wrote: »

Sorry, my bad, I didn't realise it was a touchy subject.

You're cool. No worries. Some folks got nailed trying to cross under the past administration. Trying to do the bounce off the backwall. Not sure about the new US admin. :pac:

Mongfinder General · 04-02-2021 11:13pm

Don’t travel. Don’t take the risk of being refused entry because every single time you travel to the U.S. in future you will probably face delays and questioning on why you were refused.

Fathom · 04-02-2021 11:18pm

Mongfinder General wrote: »

Don’t travel... to the U.S.

Not until they control COVID. New variations spreading faster. Now 451K have died in America. Thousands each day.

Coybig_ · 04-02-2021 11:46pm

Fathom wrote: »

Not until they control COVID. New variations spreading faster. Now 451K have died in America. Thousands each day.

USA is literally seeing drastic reductions in COVID cases, as they are rapidly progressing through their vaccination programme. Hospitalisations are reducing, numbers vaccinated are increasing and states are beginning to open up again.

By June the situation is shaping up to look amazing over there. The situation is the opposite of how you are presenting it.

America was always very succeptible to COVID because they have over 40 percent of their population classed as obese ergo they had more vulnerable people than any other country in the world.

rorrissey · 05-02-2021 10:22pm

Coybig_ wrote: »

USA is literally seeing drastic reductions in COVID cases, as they are rapidly progressing through their vaccination programme. Hospitalisations are reducing, numbers vaccinated are increasing and states are beginning to open up again.

My boyfriend is based in Maryland and they're doing a terrific job of giving out vaccines there at the moment, John's Hopkins hospital is right there of course. I imagine most of the people who will attend this wedding (they've reduced the capacity) will have had the vaccine.

It's frustrating. My boyfriend and I have been together for 5 years, but this is really taking a toll on us. I suppose all I can do is hope for the best anyway..

ReturningForY · 05-02-2021 10:47pm

Yes, COVID cases are [URL="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html?name=styln-coronavirus-vaccines&region=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Interactive&impression_id=528da980-67fb-11eb-b6d0-1d9403b035e3&variant=1_Show]way down in the US right now[/URL]. I'd expect by May the number of cases will be quite small.

Another thing to keep in mind is that by May the UK will likely have most of its population vaccinated, and will no longer besubject to the US travel ban: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/04/world/europe/covid-vaccine-uk-rate.html This will make 3rd country quarantining easier. Not sure Ireland will get out of the ban so fast.

Fathom · 05-02-2021 11:03pm

Coybig_ wrote: »

By June the situation is shaping up to look amazing over there. The situation is the opposite of how you are presenting it.

Dr Fauci predicted a dark winter in America. It has happened. That was before the South African and Brazilian variations emerged. The chart linked shows substantial, recent growth in USA. More than last spring. Now that the Anti-masker-in-chief has been replaced by someone that follows science rather than politics, Fauci predicts that with rapidly increasing vaccinations of over 330 million people, if most completed by summer 2021, which is a logistical nightmare, fall 2021 may show significant US improvement. We have gone from single face coverings to double masking. Social distancing has increased from 6 feet to 20 in many cases with the spread of Covid variations. We have been told to avoid markets and other indoor places where people cluster in America. If you are in touch with the emerging scholarly literature regarding the mutating COVID-19, it suggests that we do not know enough about the original virus and its variations to suggest at this time that it will be safe to travel in the small tube of an aircraft, train, subway, bus, or other such indoor rooms at this moment in time. From a research methods standpoint, we only have short term data, and no longitudinal data to study. So extreme caution should be exercised before proclaiming that the US is emerging from the pandemic. Would it not be wise to avoid travel to and within the USA until more is known about what is happening with this pandemic?

Coybig_ · 05-02-2021 11:52pm

Fauci is like our own merchants of doom over here - we have constant doommongering at the moment despite the fact that cases are going down again and vaccinations are going up. It's hard to see him getting through to the public as more and more get vaccinated.

These questions would probably be more suited to the Covid forum but, if the vaccination isn't the end goal then what is?

With Johnson and Johnson coming on stream in the coming weeks with them having applied for emergency approval over there, there will be vaccines available in America to anyone who wants it by the end of May. They are already seeing a slow return to normality in many states, so add in the increase in vaccinations and they should be golden.

That might come too soon for the OP as we are likely to take around 5 months longer to reach that same point, and add on a a month or two for safety, but it is feasible to see direct transatlantic travel resumed at some point this year. If that requires a vaccination to do so, then so be it.

I know I'll be travelling over in November anyway, providing I am vaccinated.

ReturningForY · 06-02-2021 6:22am

Fathom wrote: »

The chart linked shows substantial, recent growth in USA.

You link to the deaths chart, which is known to trail the cases chart by a few weeks (i.e. the time from diagnosis to death). The recent cases chart I linked to above shows the number of cases has *halved* since the start of January (250k to 125k).

I know we're all feeling down because the last year has been weird, but like we're literally at a major point of good news where the number of cases has halved.

(Of course the "bad news" media is underplaying this: as soon as the case numbers started going down the chart disappeared from the front page of the NY Times....)

Anyway with the vaccine we're at a major turning point. Travel in May is iffy but for late summer the outlook is very positive.

Black Swan · 06-02-2021 2:46pm

ReturningForY wrote: »

You link to the deaths chart, which is known to trail the cases chart by a few weeks (i.e. the time from diagnosis to death). The recent cases chart I linked to above shows the number of cases has *halved* since the start of January (250k to 125k)p

The USA case chart cannot be treated as a valid and reliable measure of COVID, because it is a convenience sample and not a random sample. Predictions are therefore problematic in USA.

Black Swan · 06-02-2021 3:14pm

Coybig_ wrote: »

USA is literally seeing drastic reductions in COVID cases

Caution needs to be exercised due to the potential affects of seasonal variation (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years).

Fathom · 08-02-2021 10:12pm

Black Swan wrote: »

The USA case chart cannot be treated as a valid and reliable measure of COVID, because it is a convenience sample and not a random sample. Predictions are therefore problematic in USA.

Black Swan wrote: »

Caution needs to be exercised due to the potential affects of seasonal variation (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years).

Add to this the end of the many Trump no-masking, no-social distancing super-spreader rallies of thousands of people. The last occurring January 6, 2021. To answer the OP, a trip to USA in May 2021 may be too soon. There are so many variables that affect the spread and control of this virus. Including the new variations being studied and not fully understood.

ongarite · 09-02-2021 12:50am

I'm heading to California on 2 separate trips starting in late April. Work related in person training.

No fears in going from myself.
Restrictions have loosened in California already and I expect more changes for the better in next 2-3 months.

Black Swan · 09-02-2021 1:44am

ongarite wrote: »

I'm heading to California on 2 separate trips starting in late April. Work related in person training.

No fears in going from myself.
Restrictions have loosened in California already and I expect more changes for the better in next 2-3 months.

“In person training?” Do you have a guarantee from your training source that it will be provided? Our university requires a 2-week quarantine during which only online training or education can be provided. In person would only follow, provided that it was defined as essential. We are in California.

SweetSand · 09-02-2021 2:18am

ongarite wrote: »

I'm heading to California on 2 separate trips starting in late April. Work related in person training.

Where would you be traveling from? It will be interesting to see if your in-person training will go ahead. My husband works for large multinational company and normally would travel a lot internally between States but there is absolutely no travelling since last March and they are taking all quarantine/safety requirements very seriously.

él statutorio · 09-02-2021 6:48pm

ongarite wrote: »

I'm heading to California on 2 separate trips starting in late April. Work related in person training.

No fears in going from myself.
Restrictions have loosened in California already and I expect more changes for the better in next 2-3 months.

Restrictions have loosened but don't equate that with things being better.

A lot of CA is in bad shape.

Source, I live in California.

Mongfinder General · 09-02-2021 8:17pm

ongarite wrote: »

I'm heading to California on 2 separate trips starting in late April. Work related in person training.

No fears in going from myself.
Restrictions have loosened in California already and I expect more changes for the better in next 2-3 months.

Are you a U.S. citizen or legal resident?

Fathom · 09-02-2021 9:04pm

Mongfinder General wrote: »

Are you a U.S. citizen or legal resident?

MOD: You really don't have to answer this question. We try to preserve your anonymity as best we can, although on the web there are no guarantees. It's really up to you if you want to share such information.

él statutorio · 10-02-2021 1:25am

Fathom wrote: »

MOD: You really don't have to answer this question. We try to preserve your anonymity as best we can, although on the web there are no guarantees. It's really up to you if you want to share such information.

I think it's because right now (or last I heard, not sure if it has changed) they'll only let in citizens or legal residents.
If the person isn't either of those things, they're not getting in.

Black Swan · 10-02-2021 9:43am

It should be noted that in addition to federal, some states, counties, and cities have their own COVID restrictions which may affect travel to, and between them; as well as what you may do within them.

Fathom · 10-02-2021 10:14pm

Black Swan wrote: »

It should be noted that in addition to federal, some states, counties, and cities have their own COVID restrictions which may affect travel to, and between them; as well as what you may do within them.

Applies to my state, county, and city.

ceadaoin. · 12-02-2021 7:26am

él statutorio wrote: »

I think it's because right now (or last I heard, not sure if it has changed) they'll only let in citizens or legal residents.
If the person isn't either of those things, they're not getting in.

Yeah a colleague of my husband booked flights to come here from Ireland for "work" a few months ago. Despite being asked how he was getting in and told that he needed permission from the embassy he said it would be grand. Unsurprisingly he was denied boarding. I know of people who are legal residents being denied entry too because they hadn't contacted the embassy first. Its was sorted the next day but still a hassle.

channelsurfer2 · 12-02-2021 12:51pm

any guesses on when it will re-open for europeans?

él statutorio · 12-02-2021 4:20pm

channelsurfer2 wrote: »

any guesses on when it will re-open for europeans?

No idea to be honest. Sometime after Easter might seem reasonable given the rate that the US is rolling out vaccines.

It could well be late summer or later in the year with all the mutations that seem to be happening too.

A lot of unknowns.

Flying to the US May 2021

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