US President Joe Biden Said Covid-19 Pandemic Is Over. What Does That Mean for Volunteers and Travelers Abroad?

Last Updated: January 01, 2023

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In 60 minutes interview with CBS news, President of US Joe Biden stated that “the pandemic is over” . President made this remark citing what is normally seen around these days , as people are no longer wearing masks, public events are common and people are turning back to their lifestyles.

COVID-19 is no longer dominating our behavior like it did for the past 2 years. The world is returning to its post COVID normality. But is Joe Biden right about his declaration? Is the pandemic really over? This is one of the major concerns of the world , especially for those who are planning to travel abroad.

What CDC Says About COVID-19 Pandemic For Travelers

A good news for those travelers is, now CDC has no countries listed as Level:4 risk, countries with Special Circumstance/Do Not Travel remarks. With it saying there are no Level 4 COVID 19 travel health notices of CDC at this time, it is clear that we can travel to most of the countries in the world with certain conditions applied.

However, there are still many countries in Level 3 , Level to and Level 1 assigned to their risk level. These countries either need the vaccination proof or the negative COVID test report before arriving in the destination countries.

What is the position of travel restrictions and vaccine requirements?

Still different countries have different rules for the travelers as their measure to curb coronavirus. New Zealand has lifted its vaccine requirement for travelers, Canada reportedly set to lift vaccine requirements for people entering the country, Pre-departure Testing Requirements for Air Travelers to the U.S. Lifted Effective June 12, 2023.

According to telegraph, 73 countries have now removed all COVID travel restrictions, nearly all European nations including the United Kingdom have now completely freed themselves from the travel restrictions.

Though some countries still have some regulations for COVID, most of them now need either COVID vaccination or the COVID tests for the unvaccinated arrivals. 

Traveling To Asian Countries in Post Pandemic World

Most of the Asian countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka and India now need either a Vaccine certificate or the negative test report not older than 72 hours for those arriving to these countries. As per CNN Travelers who are jabbed entering Thailand should provide proof they have been fully vaccinated. and they no longer need to show the COVID test. However, for the Unvaccinated or not-fully-vaccinated travelers they have to show proof of a negative result from an RT-PCR test or professional ATK within 72 hours of arrival to Thailand.

Traveling to Latin American Countries for Vaccinated and Unvaccinated People

Costa Rica seems very open with regard to post pandemic traveling, those arriving to Costa Rica are no longer required to show proof of vaccination status, a negative COVID-19 test. As per Ecuador and Peru, all the travelers still need to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccine.

Post Pandemic Traveling to Africa

Most of the African countries like Kenya and Tanzania require either the proof of vaccination against COVID-19 of the negative test of coronavirus and its variants.

Conclusion: Volunteers and Travelers Abroad Should Understand From Joe Biden’s Statement Said Covid-19 Pandemic Is Over

There can be many agreements and disagreements over President Biden’s remark of COVID-19 being over. On one side many people are happy for this optimistic attitude of the president while addressing the end of more than 2 years long global ordeal, on the other side many are finding it an insensitive statement considering there are still many cases and casualties of the pandemic.

The world might still need some time to completely declare that the pandemic is over, but it is obvious that many of us have learned to live with it while adjusting ourselves by applying all the preventive measures.