The Avant
The Avant Garde
Garde
  • Latest news
  • World
  • Africa
  • Americas
  • Asia Pacific
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Weather
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest news
  • World
  • Africa
  • Americas
  • Asia Pacific
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Weather
No Result
View All Result
The Avant Garde
No Result
View All Result
Home World

Europe Reopened to Americans. Why, It Asks, Hasn’t the U.S. Reciprocated?

The Avant Garde by The Avant Garde
August 10, 2021
in World
0
Europe Reopened to Americans. Why, It Asks, Hasn’t the U.S. Reciprocated?

MADRID — He was vaccinated in April, tested negative for the coronavirus and believed he was exempt from travel restrictions.

But on a stopover in Amsterdam in late May, Peter Fuchs, 87, was told he could not board his New York-bound flight to attend his great-granddaughter’s christening. The reason: As a European citizen, he was not allowed to enter the United States.

Related Posts

London’s Trellick Tower and a Development Debate

Israel and Militants in Gaza Agree to Cease-Fire

The Troubles of Kenya’s China-Funded Train

“I felt helpless and broken down,” Mr. Fuchs said in an email from his nursing home apartment in Hanover, Germany.

In June, as the United States made headway in its vaccination campaign, European Union leaders recommended that member countries reopen their borders to Americans, a significant gesture meant to signal what they hoped would be the beginning of the pandemic’s end. They expected to be repaid in kind.

That the United States remains largely closed has dismayed Europeans and frustrated their leaders, who are demanding that Europe’s decision to open its borders be reciprocated.

“We insist comparable rules be applied to arrivals in both directions,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, said last week at a news conference. Officials with the bloc have even suggested reimposing travel restrictions against American travelers.

For some European families, the continued ban has compounded one of the deepest sorrows of the pandemic — separation itself — as loved ones become ill across closed borders and family elders grow fearful they may never see their loved ones again.

Unmarried partners with different passports have struggled to keep relationships afloat, giving rise to the popular Twitter hashtag #loveisnottourism. Europeans offered jobs in the United States still do not know whether they should accept them.

“Now that we have vaccines, at least let the vaccinated people come,” said Michele Kastelein, a dual French-American citizen living in Portola Valley, Calif. Her French brother Maurice had to abandon plans to attend her son’s wedding this month, despite hopes that the ban would be lifted by now for Europeans like him who are vaccinated.

The European travel ban dates to the start of the pandemic. President Donald J. Trump removed the restrictions in the final days of his term, but President Biden reinstated them shortly after taking office.

The White House, however, has offered little explanation on why the restrictions remain — even though some countries with higher infection and lower vaccination rates face no similar ban. At a news conference last week, Jen Psaki, the White House spokeswoman, cited the advice of medical experts and continued concerns about the Delta variant.

Under the current rules, virtually all residents of Europe’s Schengen Area — the passport-free zone that includes 26 countries plus other entities — as well as those living in Britain and Ireland are still barred from traveling to the United States.

Five other countries under the ban include ones with high infection rates, like Iran, South Africa, Brazil and India, but also China, where rates of spread have been far lower than those in the United States for months.

The travel ban exempts some people, among them American citizens, permanent U.S. residents and some family members of U.S. citizens, provided the American is under 21.

Updated 

Aug. 9, 2021, 9:16 p.m. ET

People from the prohibited countries can still enter the United States if they spend the 14 days before their arrival in a country that is not on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list.

This last proviso led Shelley Murray, an American strength and conditioning coach, and her partner, Viktor Pesta, a mixed martial arts athlete from the Czech Republic, into an odyssey that spanned not just their native countries, but also Turkey and the Dominican Republic.

The two had moved into a home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., shortly before the pandemic when Mr. Pesta was called to a coaching assignment in the Czech Republic. The European Union and the United States banned travel in both directions soon after, and the two were separated for six months, Ms. Murray said.

She was the first to leave her country, last August, after the Czech Republic created a so-called sweetheart exception that allowed Americans to visit unwed partners. But when Mr. Pesta wanted to return to the United States last October, he had to spend two weeks in Turkey — a country not on the C.D.C.’s prohibited list — so he would be allowed to enter.

This spring, shortly after Mr. Pesta was vaccinated in the United States, he traveled back to the Czech Republic for a mixed martial arts fight. When he wished to return to Florida this summer, the couple went to the Dominican Republic to allow for Mr. Pesta’s re-entry, a visit that stretched on for seven weeks because of visa delays.

Ms. Murray said her chief frustration was that American rules led the couple to stay in countries where infection rates were higher than in much of Europe, supposedly as a precaution against infected travelers.

“It was kind of nonsensical to us,” she said.

In another part of Fort Lauderdale sits the empty two-bedroom apartment of Elisabeth Haselbach, a Swiss citizen who bought it four years ago as an investment and vacation property.

Understand the State of Vaccine Mandates in the U.S.

But Ms. Haselbach has not been able to see her home since before the pandemic. She continues to pay taxes and condominium fees, but is worried because she has been unable to reinforce her home for the hurricane season, which lasts from June through November.

She said the predicament left her stunned: She found Mr. Trump’s behavior on the international stage unreasonable, but she did not expect to think the same of Mr. Biden on the closed borders.

“I was the No. 1 fan of the Democrats,” she said.

Frustration with the ban led Marius Van Der Veeken, a retired finance professional in the Netherlands, to write to Mr. Biden, saying he wanted to see his family in Michigan.

Mr. Van Der Veeken, 64, and his wife, Anne-Mieke, 61, had just gotten to know their grandchildren, now 3 and 4, before the pandemic prevented travel. Having received the AstraZeneca vaccine in March, they had believed they would soon have a chance to see the children, along with their daughter and son-in-law. Instead, they continue to meet each Sunday by video call.

Their grandchildren recognize them — calling them Opa and Oma, grandpa and grandma in Dutch — but Mr. Van Der Veeken worries that long-distance calls are not enough and that he is losing precious years.

“It’s important now to be building a relationship with them,” he said. “My big argument is that the travel restrictions should make a difference between family connections and tourists.”

Mr. Fuchs, the retiree from Germany, had similar feelings when he was blocked from his flight in May to attend the christening of his great-granddaughter, his first.

His daughter Natascha Sabert, an American citizen, said she had been told mistakenly by U.S. consular officials that he was eligible to enter the country as her father. But when he reached the airport in Amsterdam, he was told that he did not qualify because his daughter was over 21.

Ms. Sabert worried that her father, who is hard of hearing, would not be able to make it back to Germany that night from Amsterdam. Airport officials told her there were no more flights to Hanover that day, she said.

“I said, ‘You can’t push him in a wheelchair somewhere in the airport in the corner and just leave him there,’” she recalled.

Eventually, Mr. Fuchs was put on a flight to Hamburg, where a relative helped him onto a train to Hanover.

The experience has left Ms. Sabert fearful of asking her father to try to make the trip again. But she also feels time is running out and wants the chance for the family to reunite.

“It’s about these last moments before we say goodbye,” she said.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

Asia Pacific

After China’s Military Drills, Options Narrow to Win Over Taiwan

August 9, 2022
Asia Pacific

After China’s Military Drills, Options Narrow to Win Over Taiwan

August 9, 2022
Asia Pacific

Your Tuesday Briefing: China’s New Military Drills Near Taiwan

August 9, 2022
Asia Pacific

In China, Xi Risks Overconfidence That Could Stoke Taiwan Tensions

August 9, 2022
Asia Pacific

How We Mourn Covid’s Victims

August 9, 2022

World

London’s Trellick Tower and a Development Debate

London’s Trellick Tower and a Development Debate

by The Avant Garde
August 9, 2022
0

<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"...

Israel and Militants in Gaza Agree to Cease-Fire

Israel and Militants in Gaza Agree to Cease-Fire

by The Avant Garde
August 8, 2022
0

The truce appeared to end a three-day conflict in Gaza that barely altered the status quo in Israel and the...

The Troubles of Kenya’s China-Funded Train

The Troubles of Kenya’s China-Funded Train

by The Avant Garde
August 8, 2022
0

Five years after its launch, the railway has become associated with debt, dysfunction and criminal inquiries, and it is now...

Ukraine and Russia Trade Blame After Rockets Hit Near Nuclear Site

Ukraine and Russia Trade Blame After Rockets Hit Near Nuclear Site

by The Avant Garde
August 8, 2022
0

A strike landed near spent-fuel storage at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, which Russian forces have held since March. Moscow blamed...

Archie Battersbee, Gravely Ill 12-Year-Old, Dies After Removal of Life Support

Archie Battersbee, Gravely Ill 12-Year-Old, Dies After Removal of Life Support

by The Avant Garde
August 7, 2022
0

<p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"...

The Avant Garde

Get the latest stories, including breaking news on a regional and national level

Archives

  • Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact us

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest news
  • World
  • Africa
  • Americas
  • Asia Pacific
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Weather

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT