Question: When the federal government announced new rules for entering the U.S., it only appeared to have two types of people for testing — vaccinated and unvaccinated. However, when the governor announced the rules last week, he talked about U.S. citizens and noncitizens. Where do people with green cards to live in the U.S. fall under when reentering the U.S.? The announcements seemed to be different or at least confusing.
Answer: A green card, officially called a permanent resident card, signifies that the holder is a U.S. lawful permanent resident. For the purposes of international air travel under the U.S. government’s new entry rules, people with green cards are treated the same as U.S. citizens, meaning that before boarding a flight to the United States, they must provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and a negative-COVID-19 test taken no more than three days before the flight, or, if they are not fully vaccinated, a negative COVID- 19 test taken within one day of traveling, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These rules cover “U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, U.S. lawful permanent residents, and immigrants,” the CDC says.
By contrast, other passengers, such as foreign tourists, must be fully vaccinated to enter the United States by plane, with some exceptions, the CDC says. A negative test generally won’t be enough to get them into the country.
The federal government made these distinctions all along, but the details became more clear as Monday’s effective date for the new rules neared.
Q: Who do they consider an immigrant?
A: Someone with an immigrant visa. “People applying to enter the United States as immigrants (with exceptions) are required to have a medical examination that includes a COVID-19 vaccination requirement before they are issued an immigrant visa,” the agency says.
Q: I am under 65 years of age, have no underlying health conditions such as obesity or diabetes (although I have elevated Lipid/Triglyceride levels at last panel), and am not employed in a high-risk occupation. I received the J&J (Janssen) single-shot vaccine in May, but would like to get the Pfizer or Moderna booster. Am I eligible, and if so, how do I go about getting it?
A: Yes, not only are you eligible, the CDC recommends that you get a booster shot. “People ages 18 years and older who received a J&J/Janssen COVID- 19 vaccine at least two months ago should get a booster shot. The J&J/ Janssen COVID-19 vaccine has lower vaccine effectiveness over time compared to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna),” the agency says, explaining on its website that you may choose any of the booster shots authorized in the United States (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or J&J).
Booster shots are widely available. If there’s no walk-in pharmacy offering them near you, check Hawaii’s COVID-19 portal for locations, at hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine.
Auwe
Why do people have dogs if they are going to leave them alone, tied up in a yard all day? They obviously don’t care about their neighbors, who have to listen to the dog yap-yap-yapping all day and night, and I mean all day every day, but they also don’t care about the dog, who is living in misery. I know there are laws against dogs barking continuously, but they don’t seem to be enforced (I’ve complained and nothing happened). I’m not expecting a miracle after years of hearing this poor dog, but sometimes a person has to vent. Auwe! — Tortured retiree
Mahalo
Mahalo to the young man on a bicycle who stopped for us in McCully when we were confused by the new traffic feature (a roundabout). He quickly explained how it’s supposed to work and continued on his way. — A motorist
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
