U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) voted along with the legislative majority to approve House of Representatives Bill 185, which would end the mandate that foreign travelers have to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Calvert cosponsored H.R. 185 and then joined the majority in the 226-201 vote designed to reverse the financial implications of this travel requirement.
“The United States is the only major Western country still mandating COVID vaccinations for international travelers,” Calvert said on his website the day of the Feb. 8 vote. “According to the U.S. Travel Association, this mandate is estimated to have cost the United States nearly $90 billion of international travel spending in 2022."
In California, and specifically Coachella Valley, tourism means big bucks.
“Tourism is a major economic driver in Coachella Valley," Calvert said on his website. "When tourism completely shut down due to the pandemic, economists estimated that the Valley lost nearly $3.5 billion in visitor revenue and more than 24,000 jobs. Thankfully, as restrictions have eased, visitors are returning to Coachella Valley -- but one hurdle remains: the vaccine mandate for international travelers. Removing this mandate is critical for widely attended international events like the BNP (Banque Nationale de Paris) Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, happening next month."
H.R. 185 wipes out the order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) banning flights into the U.S. for noncitizens who are not immigrants, unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or consent to action to prevent the spread of the virus, according to H.R. 185.
The bill also reverses subsequent orders that foreign visitors traveling by air demonstrate proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to land in the U.S. and prevents federal dollars from going to enforce or administer this condition.
The exception to this measure is certain travelers flying from China to the U.S. H.R. 185 will not impact the CDC's Jan. 5 order that governs COVID-19 testing or documentation of COVID-19 recovery for these individuals. In addition, the CDC must report to Congress with a total for all the visitors banned from flying into the U.S. for the period from April 7, 2022, until the bill's enactment date.
“It defies logic and science that someone can illegally cross our Southern border unvaccinated, but they cannot fly into our country without proof of vaccination. House Republicans took steps to restore common sense and end this unnecessary restriction. I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 185, which ends the international visitor vaccination requirement, because it is time to remove unnecessary restrictions keeping people out of the Coachella Valley and other tourist destinations throughout America,” Calvert said, according to his website.