From Washington-The Biden administration has taken the first step to require almost all foreign visitors to the United States to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, White House officials said.

This requirement will come as part of the government’s step-by-step approach to relaxing restrictions on foreigners traveling to the country. The timeline has not yet been determined, as the Inter-Ministry Working Group is studying how and when to travel safely to resume a regular trip. Ultimately, with a few limited exceptions, it is expected that all foreigners entering the country will need to be vaccinated with COVID-19 in order to enter the United States.

Officials spoke anonymously on Wednesday to preview policies under development.

The Biden administration has enforced travel restrictions that significantly reduce international travel to the United States because of the spread of delta variants of the virus. Regulations prohibit non-US residents who have been to China, Europe’s Schengen Area, United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, or India in the last 14 days from entering the United States.

All travelers to the United States must present proof that a COVID-19 test performed within 3 days of air travel to the United States is negative, regardless of vaccination status.

The Biden administration is facing pressure to lift some restrictions from affected allies, the air travel industry, and families who have been isolated from loved ones by regulation. Many complain that travel restrictions do not reflect the current status of the virus. In particular, the US case load is worse than many of the banned countries.

Airlines for America, an industry group of major US airlines, is pleased with reports that the government plans to make it easier for more foreign travelers to enter the country if vaccinated. Stated.

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The Associated Press writer, David Koenig, contributed to this report.