The Biden administration has issued detailed guidelines on those permitted to travel to the United States, following a lockdown on international visitors since early 2020. 

President Joe Biden has signed a proclamation that will lift the extraordinary United States travel restrictions first imposed in early 2020. This means that from Nov 8, fully vaccinated parties from countries previously barred, including Ireland can travel freely to the US once more.

Since early 2020, with the aim of halting the spread of Covid-19, all non-US citizens who within the last 14 days had been in Ireland, Britain, the 26 Schengen countries in Europe without border controls, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil, were banned from traveling to the United States. 

On Monday, the Biden administration released detailed guidelines for those planning to travel. These include a travel assessment tool created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for people planning international trips, including extensive question and answer features for travelers.

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The proclamation signed by President Biden on Monday states that airlines will be required to check travelers' vaccination status before they can board departing planes.

It states: "It is in the interests of the United States to move away from the country-by-country restrictions previously applied during the Covid-19 pandemic and to adopt an air travel policy that relies primarily on vaccination to advance the safe resumption of international air travel to the United States."

The proclamation states that the proof of vaccination must come from an "official source" and have been received at least two weeks prior to the flight. Any vaccines approved by US health regulators will be accepted.

Unvaccinated travelers, including Americans, will have to show a negative Covid test taken within one day of departure. Children under the age of 18 will be exempt from the vaccination requirement but must still provide a negative test taken within three days of travel.

A White House fact sheet released on the proclamation reads "With science and public health as our guide, the United States has developed a new international air travel system that both enhances the safety of Americans here at home and enhances the safety of international air travel."