Travelling to USA Covid regulations

[confusedofsussex]

I am hoping to be finally reunited in December with my brother and my new nephew who live in New York after Covid restrictions are relaxed next month. I also want to take my youngest daughter and who is 16 . She will only have had 1 jab (and there is no set date/uk gov plans for a second) Can anyone tell me whether she can go or will she have to self-isolate . The information talks about being fully vaccinated but in this country for that age group that means 1 not 2 jabs unlike USA. No clear guidance is available - are they saying that Children can't go to the USA at the moment unless they have had 2 jabs ? Cant believe that is the case but cant seem to find the answer . Help !

So, looking at the information there is to date for fully vaccinated visitors, it says that as well as the PCR within 72 hours before travel, it says you need to have a viral load test on day 3-5 after arrival.

DH and I plan to go to Boston in January (not US citizens) but will only be there 72 hours, in fact from landing to take off will be 5 minutes shy of 72 hours if all goes to plan. I assume that means we don't need the day 3-5 test? Any ideas?

AZ looks like it will be ok from the CDC website but gov.uk says that the US haven't confirmed they will accept the NHS records as proof of vaccination yet. Surely that must be ok?!?!

@101namesforme the US has said it will accept all vaccines approved by the WHO, which includes AZ, so you don't have to worry about that.

As for the day 3-5 test, the CDC only recommend it, it's not required. We certainly didn't have to do one when we went in August.

@zafferana Thank you for the clarification, it's really helpful.

We tend to test 3 days after any flights just to be on the safe side. We just do a home or pharmacy BinaxNow test. They take 15 minutes and are pretty reliable. Airports and planes have been packed on my recent flights.

101namesforme - you are brave coming to Boston in January :-)

@Curlybrunette

I did see this link last night that said 1 dose classes as fully vaccinated for teens.

Somewhere else I read that AZ and Pfizer are both fine.

Yippee I think we're on!

That's really good news - hopefully it stays that way!

@ZZTopGuitarSolo - I know it will be blinking freezing!! I have been to Boston in January before although many years ago.

To be honest, I have some air miles than need using before mid January, it'll be a few days away for DH and me to just chill. Boston is a place we liked, and as we have been before we don't feel the need to pack in touristy things. We do quite fancy a food tour though, any you'd recommend??

There's something refreshing about when you just know it's going to be cold, and you dress up for it, and you have plenty of excuses to head indoors regularly.

My husband and son loved the North End pizza tour - not sure which one they did. It's a fun area to explore.

Or maybe a wine tour or a brew tour?

Not a food tour, but I love the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum.

You could maybe see Salem too - it might be uncrowded for a change.

Thanks for the tips ZZ, a wine tour sounds great! Will look up your other suggestions too

If you haven’t been to the Isabella Stewart Gardiner I really recommend it, it’s a unique art gallery, you get in free if you are called Isabella. The MFA (museum of fine art) is virtually next door and it is a fantastic gallery. The restaurants in both are excellent too. My absolute favourite is the glass flower exhibit in the Harvard Museum, over in Cambridge but easy to get to.
The Public Market is great for a nose around. All the food is from Massachusetts and seasonal, also a few nice stalls for local souvenirs. Much nicer than the very touristy Faneuil Hall market, which it is just round the corner from. There is a great Thai cafe just next to the market as well. In the North End go to Modern Pastries instead of Mikes, it’s always less crowded and the pastries are better, it’s where the locals go. It’s very hard to go wrong in the North End as far as food goes, especially out of tourist season. For pizza you need to go to Regina’s. My favourite restaurant is Yvonnes, just near the common.

Thank you @Chemenger! I think as we’re only there such a short time we’ll stick to the centre so won’t head to Cambridge etc this time.

Great tips re markets and the Isabella Stewart Gardener museum. Thanks!

Marking my place as I'm in the same situation, although not planning to to fly until 2022, so time for things to change!

Just to add the Boston Public Market does run tours or there are tours which combine it with the North End.
A few more suggestions (I’m on a roll now!) are the Prudential Tower, both the viewing gallery at the top and the restaurant (go for cocktails and snacks rather than a meal, the food’s not brilliant) - the view is unbeatable. The Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library is unique and interesting to see. Afternoon tea at the Boston Public Library is meant to be lovely, I’ve only had a quick coffee there but the cafe is very nice and the building is beautiful.

Thank you!

@101namesforme I was just in Boston last week, we had 2 fabulous meals. One on Buttermilk & Bourbon (the head chef works for Gordon Ramsey on Hell's Kitchen) and the other in Ocean Prime.
Both in totally different areas of downtown but definitely worth visiting

Thank you @BackToWhereItAllBegan!! I’m getting all excited now 😊

So helpful to read through this thread.

We rescheduled our villa booking in Orlando to next July (were meant to go July 2021).

Now starting to look at flights but they are pretty pricey right now and I'm starting to worry about whether our 12 year old will need two jabs - even though I don't think we can even get that privately in the UK even if we wanted to...!

It's a holiday of a lifetime so very nervous about booking flights and being at risk of a either UK or USA change of policy. Hopefully the extra info out on 8 November will make things clearer.

@SunnyNights

So helpful to read through this thread.

We rescheduled our villa booking in Orlando to next July (were meant to go July 2021).

Now starting to look at flights but they are pretty pricey right now and I'm starting to worry about whether our 12 year old will need two jabs - even though I don't think we can even get that privately in the UK even if we wanted to...!

It's a holiday of a lifetime so very nervous about booking flights and being at risk of a either UK or USA change of policy. Hopefully the extra info out on 8 November will make things clearer.

We have already booked for next July. I have to believe things will be different by then.

Good link here

www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/new-rules-uk-travel-us-vaccinated-b1948266.html

@Curlybrunette

We're meant to be going to New York late December, I'm concerned that although we can get there, DH and I both fully vaccinated, our sons will only have had 1 vaccine by then.

I need to know if they'll be able to go indoors anywhere. I'm picturing some really cold teens stood outside peering in the window with icicles hanging off their noses while DH and I are inside in the warm

You only have to have had once vaccine (all ages) to go to events and restaurants etc in New York Ciry

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the rules aren't issued by the federal government, they are issued by localities and they vary from place to place. So in NYC only one vaccine is required. I checked San Francisco and 2 vaccines are required and they will not accept negative covid tests as an alternative. I had a look at Los Angeles and they do accept negative covid tests. A lot of places the main issue seems to be around eating indoors, so we can eat outdoors in CA in December but you won't to do that in Boston or New York! My best friend lives in Philadelphia and the rules in Philly are different to those in neighbouring counties. So best to do some googling on where you are going. And of course, everything is subject to change, always.

I was considering booking a city break in NY next year, but struggling to make sense of all the rules. At the time of travel we would have a 14 yo and 12yo. I know from that Independent article linked above we could get into the country. But I've read that NYC requires proof of vaccine status for those aged 12 and over for entry to restaurants, attractions etc - but I don't know how, as a Brit, you would prove this? The NHS won't issue vaccine status certificates as far as I can see to those under 16, and I'm not sure if one dose would be sufficient for their rules anyway. So how do you travel with kids aged 12-15 ? Is it just impossible at the moment?

@creativevoid

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the rules aren't issued by the federal government, they are issued by localities and they vary from place to place. So in NYC only one vaccine is required. I checked San Francisco and 2 vaccines are required and they will not accept negative covid tests as an alternative. I had a look at Los Angeles and they do accept negative covid tests. A lot of places the main issue seems to be around eating indoors, so we can eat outdoors in CA in December but you won't to do that in Boston or New York! My best friend lives in Philadelphia and the rules in Philly are different to those in neighbouring counties. So best to do some googling on where you are going. And of course, everything is subject to change, always.

Yes - all so true.

Although we will be eating outdoors in Maine right the way through winter. I mean, people here go ice fishing for fun. An outdoor restaurant with heaters and blankets is luxury by comparison :-)

So true that everything is subject to change. With vaccinations for 5-11 year olds starting soon, I'm sure everything will change yet again.

@cakeaddict

I was considering booking a city break in NY next year, but struggling to make sense of all the rules. At the time of travel we would have a 14 yo and 12yo. I know from that Independent article linked above we could get into the country. But I've read that NYC requires proof of vaccine status for those aged 12 and over for entry to restaurants, attractions etc - but I don't know how, as a Brit, you would prove this? The NHS won't issue vaccine status certificates as far as I can see to those under 16, and I'm not sure if one dose would be sufficient for their rules anyway. So how do you travel with kids aged 12-15 ? Is it just impossible at the moment?

Gosh - kids under 16 have nothing at all to show they've received the vaccine? Could they get a printout of their vaccination record from their GP? What an odd system. That would make it difficult.

Here you get a card from the CDC, plus your record in your state CDC database is updated, plus you can let your GP know to update their records (they also verify with the CDC), so there are various places you can go to get evidence that you've been vaccinated.

ZZ, well, they get the cardboard handwritten card on the day, but I don't think it will be valid as proof. All the NHS websites say covid certification/vaccine passports are not needed for U-16s, therefore they don't issue them, and it explicitly states that written letters issued from the system for travel are not for under 16s. GP records will be up to date of course. Unless there is something I'm missing and someone in the UK has managed to get proof for travel....??

Cakeaddict, for NYC specifically, as of now:

"Proof of vaccination for vaccines administered outside the U.S. may be demonstrated by an official immunization record that includes ALL of the following:
• First name and last name
• Date of birth

• Vaccine product name (ex: AstraZeneca/SK Bioscience)
• Date(s) administered

• Site where the vaccine was administered or person who administered the vaccine. For people vaccinated outside of the U.S., the country of origin may be listed as the site where the vaccine was administered."

The US CDC card is cardboard, filled out by hand (with affixed stickers), so a cardboard NHS card along with a matching UK passport likely won't be an issue as long as it contains all of the above info. Venues aren't required to verify that the record is genuine, although they are supposed to report suspected forgeries. Also they are allowed to impose stricter regulations (for example I've seen a few asking for negative COVID tests for under 12s) so always best to check with the individual once you have concrete plans.

Source: Key to NYC: www1.nyc.gov/assets/counseltothemayor/downloads/Key-to-NYC-FAQ.pdf