DONALD Trump will reportedly lift entry bans for most non-US citizens who were recently in Brazil and much of Europe from January 26.
Travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic barring most visitors from Europe entering the US have been in place since mid-March, while the Brazilian entry ban was imposed in May.
This is now set to end under a new proclamation from President Trump, the same day that new Covid-19 test requirements take effect for all international visitors, according to Reuters.
The administration had been considering lifting the restrictions in November, after winning support from coronavirus task force members and public health officials.
The restrictions have barred nearly all non-U.S. citizens who within the last 14 days have been in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the 26 countries of the Schengen area in Europe that allow travel across open borders.
The Trump administration imposed the bans in a bid to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed an order requiring nearly all air travelers to present a negative coronavirus test or proof of recovery from Covid-19 to enter the US starting on January 26.
Airlines had hoped the new testing requirements would clear the way for the administration to lift the restrictions that reduced travel from some European countries by 95% or more.
They pressed senior White House officials about the issue in recent days.
It comes after the US ordered travelers coming in from the UK to test negative before entering the country amid new mutant super-strain fears.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the new testing mandate in December that requires passengers to test negative for Covid within 72 hours of departure to the US.
The new mutant strain that’s been spreading in the UK has caused resurgent infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.
US officials hoped the testing mandate – which also applies to American citizens – would stop the new strain from spreading across the country.
But at least three states in the US – Colorado, California, and Florida – have already recorded cases of the new strain, originally detected in the UK.
The White House has not considered lifting entry bans on most non-US citizens who have recently been in China or Iran, it is reported.
