A renowned US economist has warned international travel will not return there until next year.
Irwin Stelzer says while hospitals are full and deaths continue, it is "a pandemic of the unvaccinated".
The White House said on Wednesday it was continuing to examine a policy that would allow vaccinated foreigners into the United States.
Non-US nationals or permanent residents cannot travel to the US if they have been in Ireland, the UK or the Schengen Area during the previous 14 days.
There are some limited exceptions, such as close family members or some limited categories of visa holders - i.e. UN staff and diplomats.
Stelzer told Down To Business the US still needs to get its cases under control.
"I don't think you're going to see a major return to travel this year.
"I think when we get things under control, which are not at the moment.
"Now remember that the death rate from this Delta [variant] is not anywhere near what the death rate was from the original virus.
"It's bad and the hospitals are full in most states... but it's a pandemic of the unvaccinated".
On the performance of US President Joe Biden, Stelzer says he has surrounded himself with people who do not challenge him.
And he says the country's pullout from Afghanistan showed a lack of a policy framework.
"It's certainly worrying - I think more worrying than his own performance.
"It's the lack of a policy framework, within which decisions can be made.
"He gets very angry when he's challenged, he's surrounded by people who do not challenge him - including the military folks.
"He's older, no question about that, and he's had some very silly gaffes - looking at his watch during the unloading of the coffins coming back from Afghanistan".
'Simply chaos'
He also claims Mr Biden's hands-off approach in relation to US government agencies hasn't helped.
"Today the top brass at the Food and Drug Administration resigned, because the President announced - before they approved it - booster shots this month.
"And they're in a brawl with the CDC, which is the other agency, over jurisdiction.
"The talk I got this morning out of Washington is that Biden is so interested in showing that he doesn't interfere with agency operations, that there's simply chaos there.
"It will have an economic effect - it already did, consumer confidence has dropped a couple of months in a row".
And he says next year could see President Biden lose more influence.
"We have a mid-term election coming up in 2022, typically the incumbent government loses seats - and they don't have many they could lose: one in the Senate and three or four in the House [of Representatives].
"It could be that the Biden agenda gets absolutely stalled in 2022".
