Washington/IBNS: US President Joe Biden Tuesday revoked his own proclamation that was issued on October 25, 2021, that introduced a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for international air travel.

“Considering the progress that we have made, and based on the latest guidance from our public health experts, I have determined that we no longer need the international air travel restrictions that I imposed in October 2021,” the new proclamation said.

According to Biden, COVID-19 cases and deaths are at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic, while the United States now has tools to detect and respond to the potential emergence of a new variant of high consequence.

The proclamation will come into effect at 12:01 EST (16:01 GMT) on May 12.

As of Tuesday, non-US citizens, US nationals, or lawful permanent residents are required to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding an aircraft to the United States.

Last week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus officially declared an end to the organization’s assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic as a "global health emergency," but emphasized that the novel coronavirus still poses a threat.

[With UNI inputs]