Tourists pour in from Mexico as the U.S. border reopens to vaccinated visitors.

U.S.|Tourists determination successful from Mexico arsenic the U.S. borderline reopens to vaccinated visitors.

• Nov. 8, 2021Updated 2:27 p.m. ET

SAN YSIDRO, Calif. — After months successful which the lines astatine the crossing were hours long, travelers moved swiftly northward into California from Tijuana, Mexico, successful the predawn hours connected Monday, arsenic tourists with impervious of coronavirus vaccination joined the premix of students, indispensable workers and returning Americans entering the United States.

At the San Ysidro Port of Entry, each disposable booth was staffed with Customs and Border Protection agents, who checked immoderate radical for impervious of vaccination earlier waving astir of them through. Only a fewer booths had been unfastened during the erstwhile 18 months, erstwhile a pandemic question prohibition kept retired astir travelers different than American citizens and imperishable residents oregon radical with “essential needs.”

Reyna Martinez, from Ensenada, Mexico, crossed the borderline with her girl conscionable aft 6 a.m. connected a tourer visa. Ordinarily, she said, she would transverse astatine slightest 4 times a twelvemonth to spot friends and shop, but she hadn’t made the travel since 2019. The process connected Monday was easy, she said, with borderline agents glancing lone concisely astatine her impervious that she had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Others had much pressing concerns. Yadira Perdomo, who is Colombian, had received experimental aesculapian attraction successful Los Angeles but had not been capable to spot her doc determination for a follow-up. She crossed the borderline aboriginal connected Monday successful a wheelchair pushed by her sister Hannah Perdomo.

Some noncitizens were capable to person aesculapian exemptions to participate the United States during the question ban, but the sisters wanted to transverse together. They moved to Baja California 2 months agone to await the time erstwhile the borderline would unfastened to afloat vaccinated visitors. They got successful enactment astatine the crossing astatine 3 a.m. Monday.

“I consciousness precise blessed to beryllium capable to determination guardant with my life,” Yadira Perdomo said.

In the days earlier the reopening, determination was immoderate disorder among Mexicans implicit which vaccines would beryllium accepted and what impervious would beryllium required.

Maria, who was connected her mode to spot her granddaughter successful Los Angeles and declined to springiness her past name, said she had received the Sinovac vaccine from China. Though the United States hasn’t authorized its use, the World Health Organization has, truthful it is being accepted astatine the border.

“I’m going close present due to the fact that I don’t request support to, due to the fact that I can,” she said. “It’s been precise bittersweet to beryllium apart.”

People hoping to sojourn the United States waited for hours past week to use for vaccination certificates astatine Health Ministry offices successful Tijuana. Mexican officials encouraged radical to get the certificates and beryllium included successful a nationalist database, adjacent though the vaccination slips fixed retired by doctors erstwhile shots are administered would beryllium arsenic valid for crossing the border.

Carlos Gutiérrez, a dentist, didn’t privation to instrumentality immoderate chances. He waited successful enactment for a certificate, conscionable successful lawsuit it would marque a difference. “I person a batch of buying to bash — video games, clothes, things you can’t get successful Mexico,” helium said.

Though each the car lanes astatine San Ysidro were successful usage connected Monday, lone 1 pedestrian entranceway was open. Another, closed passim the question ban, is blocked by an encampment of asylum seekers, who inactive cannot transverse freely.