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Tearful Reunions At Logan Airport After International Travel Bans Lifted

BOSTON (CBS) — Vaccinated travelers from 33 countries are now able to enter the United States. At Logan Airport Monday, there were many tearful reunions with people seeing their loved ones for the first time in months, some even years.

It was a hug three years in the making for Rainer Hienerwadel, that's how long he's waited to be reunited with his siblings from Zurich, Switzerland due to the U.S. International travel ban.

"I'm so happy for everybody who wants to come here, it's been a long time and it couldn't come sooner," Hienerwadel said.

With the ban officially lifted after twenty months, the first flight of the day carrying vaccinated international travelers landed in Boston from Amsterdam around 1 p.m. Monday.

"I haven't seen my best friend in almost two years now. She lives in Belgium," Luma Samara said.

Megan Yawor stood anxiously awaiting the arrival of her boyfriend from London, who hasn't been able to visit her family in Massachusetts since 2019.

"They're very happy, there was so much unknown and how long this was going to be, they were hoping he was going to be able to come so the fact it opened today was really great," Yawor said.

Travelers coming in from Mexico and Canada will only need to show proof of vaccination, while travelers coming in from other countries will need a vaccine card and a negative Covid-19 test.

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