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Updated Nov 8, 2021 - World

In photos: U.S. reopens borders to vaccinated travelers

Rebecca Falconer
Yerin Hong gets a hug from her boyfriend, Soomin Kim, after she arrived on a flight from Germany at O'Hare International Airport on November 08, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois.

Yerin Hong gets a hug from her boyfriend, Soomin Kim, after she arrived on a flight from Germany at O'Hare International Airport on Nov. 8. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

The U.S. reopened its land and air borders Monday for nonessential travel to visitors from over 30 countries who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Why it matters: Government officials and business leaders had decried the economic impact of the travel ban on border communities in Canada and Mexico, which had been in place since March 2020. The restrictions also separated families across the world.

In Photos
People walk along the Paso del Norte International Bridge
Paso del Norte International Bridge at the U.S.-Mexico border reopened to non-citizens on Nov. 8. Photo: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Family members hold signs at JFK
Family members hold signs as they wait for passengers traveling with British Airways from London at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, on Nov. 8. Photo: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A man and woman hug at JFK arrivals area
A passenger traveling from London is greeted at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. Photo: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images
An aerial view of cars lining-up to cross the border at San Ysidro crossing port on the Mexico-United States border in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on November 7
Cars line up at San Ysidro crossing at the U.S. southern border in Tijuana, Mexico, on Nov. 7. Under the new rules, foreign travelers must show proof of vaccination and contact details before flying and get a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of travel. Photo: Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images
Performers entertain passengers at London Heathrow Airport's T3 as the US reopens its borders to UK visitors on Nov. 8
Performers entertain passengers at London's Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 on Nov. 8, as thousands of U.K. travelers prepare to depart for family reunions, per Sky News. Photo: Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images
A flight to Chicago O'Hare in the U.S. is displayed on a board at Frankfurt airport under which passengers with suitcases walk along.
A flight to Chicago O'Hare in the U.S. is displayed on a board at the Frankfurt, Germany, airport on Nov. 8. Airlines have "increased the number of transatlantic flights" and are using larger planes to meet demand, AFP notes. Photo: Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images
A Lufthansa Crew wave to an Lufthansa Airbus A 350-900 prior to a flight bound non-stop for Miami at Munich Airport
Crew members wave to a Lufthansa Airbus A 350-900 prior to a nonstop flight bound for Miami from Munich Airport on Nov. 8. Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Tourists watch the sunset in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on November 7.
Tourists watch the sunset in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, on Nov. 7. Canada reopened its border to fully vaccinated American citizens and U.S. permanent residents in August. Like in Canada, visitors who qualify for travel to the U.S. don't have to quarantine. Photo: Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images
US Homeland Security Border Patrol agents on horseback patrol the area near where the US-Mexico border fence meets the Pacific Ocean in Imperial Beach, California, on November 7
U.S. Homeland Security Border Patrol agents on horseback patrol the area near where the U.S.-Mexico border fence meets the Pacific Ocean in Imperial Beach, California, on Nov. 7. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional photos.

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