U.S. House plans vote to end foreign air traveller COVID vaccine mandate
The U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote on a bill that would end a requirement that most foreign air travellers be vaccinated against COVID-19, Majority Leader Steve Scalise said on Friday.
The Biden administration in June dropped its requirement that people arriving in the country by air must test negative for COVID-19 but has not lifted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination requirements.
Currently, adult visitors to the United States who are not citizens or permanent residents must show proof of vaccination before boarding their flight, with some limited exceptions.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie introduced the measure to rescind the vaccine requirement. "The CDC's unscientific mandate is separating too many people from their families and has been doing so for far too long. It needs to end," he said on Twitter.
The CDC says vaccines continue to be the most important public health tool for fighting COVID-19 and recommends all travellers be vaccinated. The CDC did not immediately comment Friday.
The U.S. Travel Association said Thursday it has "long supported the removal of this requirement and see no reason to wait until the May expiration of the public health emergency - particularly as potential visitors are planning spring and summer travel."
The group says the United States "is the only country that still has this requirement for international visitors when there is no longer any public health justification."
Mask requirements on airplanes were relaxed last year after a judge declared them unlawful.
But in December, the United States imposed mandatory negative COVID-19 test requirements on most travellers from China as COVID-19 infections rocketed there.
COVID-19 COVERAGE
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec police officer stabbed and killed during arrest, second wounded
A Quebec provincial police officer was fatally stabbed Monday night while performing an arrest in Louiseville, west of Trois-Rivieres, Que. The Surete du Quebec (SQ) has confirmed the identity of the officer, Sgt. Maureen Breau, who had been on the force for over 20 years. She was assigned to the post of the MRC de Maskinonge. Another officer was injured during the incident, but their life is not in danger.

Liberals to go after predatory lending in today's budget, invest in dental care plan
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to table a federal budget in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, which a federal source says will include plans to go after predatory lending and more details on dental care as part of a pitch to make life more affordable.
Canada heading into 'mild recession' as tight monetary policy squeezes growth: report
New research says Canada is heading into a mild recession as elevated borrowing costs, a downturn in the U.S. and persistent inflation dial up the country's economic uncertainty.
Security, support services needed to tackle violence on Canadian transit: analyst
Cities across Canada need greater security on transit and improved access to mental health and addiction services in order to help Canadians feel safe, one public safety analyst says.
Here's why advocates want 'femicide' in Canada's Criminal Code
Advocates against women's violence are urging the government to add femicide to the Criminal Code, saying it would bring further awareness to the term and the tragedies it describes.
Nashville shooter was ex-student with detailed plan to kill
The former student who shot through the doors of a Christian elementary school in Nashville and killed three children and three adults had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance of the building before carrying out the massacre.
How many COVID-19 vaccine doses should you have by now?
Here is a summary of the current COVID-19 vaccination guidelines from NACI, for both children and adults who are at increased risk of serious illness and those who are not.
Walmart Canada CEO says retailer not trying to profit from inflation
Walmart Canada is not trying to profit from food inflation, president and CEO Gonzalo Gebara told a parliamentary committee studying the issue Monday evening.
Indigenous concert in Vancouver cancelled over questions about performer's identity claims
The Vancouver Park Board and Britannia Community Services Centre cancelled an event Sunday that had been advertised as part of an Indigenous concert series in Grandview Park.