As of November 8, 2021, Caymanians and other non-US citizens flying into the United States must be fully vaccinated in order to travel. This requirement comes under a new international air travel policy introduced by the United States Government that is applicable to all foreign nationals.
In accordance with this new policy, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will now require non-US citizens and non-immigrants aged 18 and over, to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination prior to boarding any airplane to fly to the United States, with only limited exceptions.
The CDC has determined that for the purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include those FDA approved or authorized, as well as vaccines with an emergency use listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO). See this link on the CDC website for more details: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/international-travel/
Full details about this new vaccination travel requirement can be found here on the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/proof-of-vaccination.html.
In addition to the new vaccination requirements, the CDC now also requires airlines to collect passenger information for contact tracing, and to have passengers acknowledge the collection of such data. Passengers will continue to be required to complete an attestation form before travel to the USA, regardless of nationality, which has now been updated to reflect the vaccination requirements and the data collection. The new form can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/pdf/combined-passenger-attestation-p.pdf
The US Government requires all air travellers aged two or older to show documentation of a pre-departure negative viral test (PCR or rapid Antigen tests) certified by a local provider or to provide documentation of recovery from COVID-19. For vaccinated passengers, this test must be from a sample taken within 72 hours of travel to the United States before boarding. If a child is not fully vaccinated and travelling with a fully vaccinated adult, they can show proof of a negative viral test from a sample taken within 72 hours of departure (consistent with the timeline for fully vaccinated adults). For unvaccinated passengers, this test must be from a sample taken within 24 hours of travel to the United States. To be clear, if an unvaccinated child is traveling alone or with unvaccinated adults, they will have to show proof of a negative viral test taken within 24 hours of departure. Testing requirements are for all travelers – U.S. Citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals, regardless of vaccination status. For more information about these testing requirements, see this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html
As always, Cayman Airways urges passengers to conduct their research and secure the necessary travel documents required for entry to ensure they are able to travel as planned. Passengers who may find themselves unable to travel under these new rules are encouraged to contact Cayman Airways at 345-949-2311 to make alternate arrangements.