Coronavirus Watch: US drops travel ban after more than 600 days

International travelers from dozens of countries began flooding into the U.S. on Monday as the COVID-19 travel ban ended after more than 600 days.

• In New York City, Louise Erebara, from Danbury, Connecticut, arrived at the airport with her family to welcome her sister and her sister’s husband after 730 days apart. 
• In Atlanta, Ivana Pedroso, 30, had an emotional reunion with her parents after they arrived from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
• At the El Paso-Juarez border crossing in Texas, Constantino Castellanos, 68, and his wife, Lizbeth, 62, bought quesadillas. "It’s been two years," said Lizbeth Castellanos. "We’re going to Marshalls and Walmart."

Our journalists across the nation are reporting on the end of the travel ban. Read more from our travel team here.

It's Monday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:

• First lady Jill Biden on Monday kicked off the administration’s push to encourage parents to vaccinate their children by visiting an elementary school that played a historic role during the polio epidemic.
• A COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can leave an imprint on the fetus, according to a growing body of research, though it's unclear whether that effect is long-lasting.
• In Los Angeles, proof of vaccination will be required to enter indoor restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, malls, salons and most city buildings starting Monday.
• The gap in COVID-19 deaths rates between red and blue counties grew faster in October than any previous month, a New York Times data survey reveals.
• Rising cases in Europe: Slovakia is expanding COVID-19 restrictions including hotel, bar and restaurant closures to almost a half of the country as cases surge in the nation.
• Japan reported no daily deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday for the first time in 15 months.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 46.4 million COVID-19 cases and 754,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 250 million cases and more than 5 million deaths. About 67% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 58% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among U.S. adults, 81% have received at least one shot, and about 70% are fully vaccinated.

Tracking the pandemic: See the numbers in your area here. See where cases are rising here. See vaccination rates here. And here, compare vaccinations rates worldwide and see which countries are using which vaccines.

– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck