The Biden administration will resume flights carrying Afghan evacuees into cities across the United States from staging areas overseas following a weekslong pause to vaccinate nearly 50,000 people in the government’s custody.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that the flights from Europe and the Middle East, as well as domestic flights, will commence this week following its “historic and nationwide vaccination campaign.”
“The success of this vaccination campaign demonstrates our commitment to the health and well-being of arriving Afghan evacuees, the personnel assisting this mission, and the American people,” said Dr. Pritesh Gandhi, the DHS chief medical officer and lead medical adviser for Operation Allies Welcome.
More than 49,000 Afghan evacuees who were flown out of the country this summer when President Joe Biden withdrew U.S. troops were vaccinated for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), and varicella (chickenpox). Nearly all Afghans also received coronavirus shots.
Inbound flights were initially halted on Sept. 10 after cases of measles were discovered among the more than 100,000 Afghans flown out of their country in a mad rush in late August. Evacuees who had already made it to U.S. military bases were held on-site while they were given vaccinations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance mandates that those vaccinated remain on-site for at least 21 days after receiving the MMR vaccine.
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“The ultimate goal of Operation Allies Welcome is to successfully resettle our Afghan allies into local communities while prioritizing national security and public health,” Robert Fenton, senior response official for Operation Allies Welcome, said in a statement. “This historic effort is part of our enduring commitment to those who supported or worked on behalf of our Nation over the last twenty years.”
