COVID-19 updates: White House press secretary Jen Psaki tests positive

The federal government on Monday released more details about how foreign tourists and other non-citizen, non-immigrant people flying to the U.S. can comply with recently-announced rules requiring them to be fully vaccinated.

These rules go into effect on Nov. 8.

People will be able to submit proof of vaccination to airlines electronically or via paper, an official said.

All vaccinated people -- Americans and non-Americans -- need to show proof of a negative test taken within three days before departure.

For unvaccinated people -- both Americans and non-Americans -- you need to show proof of a negative test within one day before. Children ages 2 to 17 must take a test but those under 2 don’t need to test.

Vaccine exemptions include: children under 18; some medical exemptions; and people traveling on non-tourist visas from countries with low availability of vaccines (signified by a country having a vaccination rate less than 10%). The U.S. will follow a list maintained by the WHO and these people will need have a “specific, compelling reason” for coming to the U.S., a senior administration official said.

The exemptions will represent a “very, very small number” of travelers to the U.S., a senior administration official said.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson

In the last month, the daily case average in the U.S. has dropped by nearly 43% thanks to falling metrics in states like Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, which have all seen their case averages drop by nearly 90% or more since August, according to federal data.

But in recent weeks, cases have been creeping up in several states in the Northeast and the upper Midwest, including Minnesota and Michigan.

Alaska currently has the country's highest infection rate, followed by Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and North Dakota, according to federal data.

About 52,000 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized across the U.S., a major drop from the 104,000 hospitalized patients in late August.

But the U.S. death toll remains persistently high, with nearly 1,300 new deaths being reported each day, according to federal data.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Moderna has announced that its vaccine produces a strong immune response for children 6 to 11 and appears safe. 

The study, which included 4,753 kids, found that side effects were generally consistent with those seen in adolescents and adults, such as fatigue, headache, fever and sore arm. 

Moderna said it plans to submit this data to the FDA soon. 

Meanwhile, FDA advisors are planning to meet this week to discuss Pfizer's vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Full authorization is possible by early November. 

-ABC News' Sony Salzman

Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday that he's "very encouraged" by the country's current COVID-19 metrics.

Speaking to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos during an interview on "Good Morning America," Besser said the United States is "definitely" moving in the right direction with COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths on the decline in "a lot of communities" and vaccinations on the rise.

As the Halloween holiday draws near, Besser advised families living in areas where COVID-19 numbers are going down to remain vigilant by wearing protective face masks and using hand sanitizer when trick-or-treating this year. Otherwise, he encouraged them to "enjoy the holiday."

"These kinds of things are very good for emotional health and you can do them safely," explained Besser, who is now the president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

When asked whether he thinks the situation will improve to a point where children won't need to wear masks in school, Besser said it will come down to what's happening at the community level.

"I think if we're in a situation where vaccines are available and the rate of disease in the community is very low, we'll get to a point where we won't need masks anymore," he said. "There will be a day where kids can go to school without masks and just be kids."

2:46

Former CDC head talks potential timeline for kids 5-11 receiving COVID vaccine

Richard Besser discusses what parents should know about the Food and Drug Administration panel meeting on Tuesday to decide whether to recommend the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 years old.

ABCNews.com