USA: only the vaccinated can come in

Only vaccinated medical travellers can currently enter the USA, while Americans have been advised to avoid more countries.

All medical tourists, including Americans returning from abroad, must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test result taken within one day of the flight’s departure to the United States before boarding.  This is a national requirement and also a requirement of airlines.

Those who have recently recovered from Covid-19 may instead travel with documentation of recovery.

For inbound medical travellers, in addition to having visas they must be fully vaccinated in order to enter.  They must provide proof of their vaccination to enter, which can be in the form of a digital pass with a QR code, a copy of their vaccination record or digital photos of their vaccination record or certificate.

Within the USA, states and cities can make their own extra rules. Several major cities across the USA have testing requirements and vaccination mandates. This includes Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington. Each has its own rules and most are moving to tougher regulation.

This will have an impact on inbound medical travel, as most international patients go to hospitals in cities for treatment.

The US Department of State has issued a range of new travel advisories. Destinations are assigned levels, with Level 3 advisories carrying a recommendation to reconsider travel due to a higher level of risk whilst Level 4 advisories recommend that Americans do not travel to a destination.

New Level 4 warnings have been produced for Jamaica, Canada and Belarus. New Level 3 additions include UAE, Singapore, El Salvador, DR Congo, and Bahrain.