Biden to block Trump’s lastditch move to lift travel restrictions
WASHINGTON: United States Presidentelect Joe Biden plans to quickly extend travel restrictions barring travel by most people who have recently been in much of Europe and Brazil soon after President Donald Trump lifted those requirements effective January 26, a spokeswoman for Biden said yesterday.
Trump signed an order yesterday lifting the restrictions he imposed early last year in response to the Covid19 pandemic after winning support from Covid19 taskforce members and public health officials.
Soon after Trump’s order was made public, Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki tweeted, ‘‘on the advice of our medical team, the Administration does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26.’’
She added that ‘‘with the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel’’.
Until Biden acts, Trump’s order ends restrictions the same day that Covid19 test requirements take effect for all international visitors. Trump is due to leave office tomorrow.
Last week, the head of the
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention signed an order requiring nearly all air travellers to present a negative Covid19 test or proof of recovery from Covid19 to enter the United States starting on January 26.
The restrictions Trump rescinded have barred nearly all nonUS citizens who within the last 14 days have been in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the 26 countries of the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 which allow travel across open borders.
The US restrictions barring most visitors from Europe have been in place since midMarch last year when Trump signed proclamations imposing them, while the Brazilian entry ban was imposed in May.
Psaki added that ‘‘in fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of Covid19.’’ The Biden transition did not immediately respond to a request to comment on if it planned to expand the countries covered.
Biden, once in office, has the legal authority to reimpose the restrictions.
A red tie, often tied too long. A raised fist, often held high to a supportive crowd. A scowling face. A raised voice. President Donald Trump never hid how he felt. His words and body language made his thoughts clear. For more than four years, Mr Trump, a Republican, cultivated a political base by sharing his thoughts and emotions — pride, happiness, indignation, rage — on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis, creating an omnipresence of sorts that completely dominated the news cycle. Like no US president has done before, he made himself the centre of attention, the star of a literal reality show that was his administration, always with an eye for the camera, a flair for the dramatic, an instinct for the outrageous. His supporters loved it. His opponents hated it. Regardless, nearly everyone tuned in. The country and the world watched, and were consumed. Tomorrow, Mr Trump will leave the White House for the final time as the 45th president of the United States, taking his final flight on the Marine One helicopter to Joint Base Andrews, where he will board Air
Force One for Florida. These Reuters images cover the range of his presidency.