The White House announced Monday that the May 11 It will end the requirement to present the covid vaccine for travelers and US government officials.
“Today we announce that the administration will end the requirement of vaccine against covid-19 for federal employees and contractors, and air travelers by the end of May 11, the same day the Covid-19 public health emergency ends,” it said in a statement.
More than a million people have died from Covid-19 in the United States. However, the White House said the pandemic had all but stopped, prompting the government to lift restrictions that were in place as the disease swept through entire communities and forced economic paralysis.
“Since January 2021, deaths from Covid-19 have fallen by 95% and hospitalizations have dropped by close to 91%. Globally, Covid deaths are at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic“, the statement said.
According to the White House, “vaccine requirements have bolstered vaccination across the country, and our extensive vaccination campaign has saved millions of lives.”
While requiring vaccinations for foreigners aboard flights bound for the United States was common practice in many countries, mandatory vaccinations for government employees sometimes drew fierce political backlash at home.
In addition to ending vaccine rules, the President Joe Biden announced in April that it was officially declaring the end of the national health emergency that for more than three years underpinned a series of extraordinary government measures.
