NEW YORK: Long lines formed at border crossings on Monday as the United States reopened to foreign visitors vaccinated against Covid-19, ending 20 months of restrictions that separated families, hobbled tourism and strained diplomatic ties.

From Rainbow Bridge at the US-Canada border to Mexico’s Tijuana crossing at San Ysidro, California, cars, motor homes and masked pedestrians clogged entry points before dawn as they sought eagerly anticipated reunions with family members and friends.

At airports in Europe, passengers queued excitedly to board planes bound for American cities, while those entering the country by land — some seen lugging suitcases and pushing bag-filled strollers under the watchful eyes of border patrol agents — were greeted by hours-long wait times.

The ban, imposed by then president Donald Trump in early 2020 and upheld by his successor Joe Biden, had become emblematic of the upheavals caused by the pandemic.0 Trump initially closed US borders to China travelers in February, 2020.

A month later he extended the ban to large swathes of the world, including the European Union, Britain, India and Brazil, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Overland visitors from Mexico and Canada were also banned.

At Frankfurt airport in Germany, Hans Wolf was queueing at the check-in counter, visibly moved, bound for Houston to visit his son whom he had not seen in two years.

“We booked the first flights in March and had since then rebooked I think 28 times, and spent so much money in between that this flight must really be profitable now,” he said.

At London Heathrow Airport, two planes from rivals British Airways and Virgin Atlantic heading to New York took off at the same time from parallel runways to mark the occasion.

To cope with surging demand, airlines have increased the number of transatlantic flights and plan to use larger planes. Along the US-Mexico border, many cities have faced economic struggles due to anti-Covid trade restrictions.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2021