Excerpt from Cond� Nast Travele

As the coronavirus pandemic drags on and the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread, more and more companies in the travel industry are requiring their staff and guests to show proof of vaccination. Major airlines, restaurants, and even some hotels are enacting policies aimed at keeping their employees and customers safe  - and keeping their lights on.

“The science is clearly telling us that the key to getting past the pandemic is vaccination of everyone who’s eligible,” says David Harris, CEO of Ensemble Travel Group, a consortium of travel advisors across the U.S. and Canada. “It’s certainly good business and good for humanity to require people to be vaccinated so as to not spread this disease any further.

But keeping up with who is requiring vaccines - and who those rules apply to - is far from straightforward, with new companies announcing their policies every day. The rules are further complicated by other ever - changing vaccine proof and testing requirements for travelers, such as those imposed by international governments, individual states, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many countries require proof of vaccination or a negative test result for travelers to enter and some, like France and Italy, also require vaccine proof for indoor dining and other activities. U.S. cities like New York City, New Orleans, and San Francisco have also implemented city - wide vaccine requirements for access to indoor dining, recreation and entertainment venues.

If you’re planning to travel in the near future, here’s what to consider about proof of vaccination requirements.

Who's requiring proof of vaccination?

Some of the biggest names in travel are now requiring proof of vaccination for staff, guests, or both. United, Frontier, and Hawaiian airlines have given their employees fall deadlines for getting vaccinated (or, in the case of Frontier, submit to regular testing), and with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on August 23, at least one carrier, United, has already shortened that deadline by several weeks. Delta is requiring vaccines for all new hires in the U.S. but has not implemented the same rule for existing employees. Other major airlines, including Southwest and American, have not mandated vaccines for any employees.

Amtrak is also requiring that its employees get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. So far, none of these companies has implemented vaccination rules for passengers, but travelers flying to some countries need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID - 19 test for entry, and all travelers returning to the U.S. from another country need a negative test result, too.

New York City’s Public Hotel became one of the first hotels to require proof of vaccination for all staff, guests, and visitors. Anyone staying at the hotel or dining at its restaurant must show a vaccine card or passport upon arrival. “We need to beat COVID - 19 together,” said owner Ian Schrager in a press release. “After all, looking after people is our business. We just didn’t see how to fulfill this responsibility without taking action.”

The Urban Cowboy Lodge in the Catskills, New York, is also requiring proof of vaccination for guests of the hotel and those dining indoors at its on - site restaurant, along with Pilgrim House Inn in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and Equinox Hotel in New York City. Hotel group Elite Islands Resorts, which has nine properties in the Caribbean, is also requiring guests to show proof of vaccination upon arrival, and Puerto Rico is mandating vaccine proof for visitors staying at hotels and short - term vacation rentals.

Restaurants are also starting to require vaccinations for staff and guests. Union Square Hospitality Group, which runs restaurants in New York, Washington D.C., and other cities, is requiring all employees and diners to show proof of vaccination or, “you can dine somewhere else, and you can also go work somewhere else,” Danny Meyer, the company’s CEO, told CNN. Many independent restaurants across the country are now requiring diners to show proof of vaccination.

Similarly, other travel - adjacent events and attractions are requiring guests to show proof of vaccination. The Las Vegas Raiders team will require all spectators at its NFL football games to show vaccine proof - or get a shot at the stadium. Whether of their own accord or because of city - wide mandates, concert venues, casinos, museums, and even some state fairs are requiring proof of vaccination for patrons. As more and more cities and private companies within the travel sector follow suit, travelers can expect proof of vaccination to become an increasingly common part of travel and daily life.

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