US considers lifting British and European entry ban
THE White House i s considering rescinding entry bans for most non-us citizens who were recently in Brazil, Britain, Ireland and 26 other European countries, according to five American officials.
The Trump administration imposed the bans in a bid to contain the pandemic. It is not considering lifting separate entry bans on most non-us citizens who have recently been in China or Iran, the officials said. The plan won the backing of the White House coronavirus task force members, the people briefed on the matter said, but the president had not made a final decision.
The White House, the Department of Homeland Security and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not comment.
Donald Trump may still decide not to lift the restrictions, given the high number of infections in Europe. One potential hurdle was that European countries were not immediately likely to allow most Americans to resume visits, officials said. The European countries subject to the US entry restrictions include the 26 members of the Schengen area which allow travel across open borders.
The US restrictions barring most visitors from Europe have been in place since mid-march, while the Brazilian entry ban was imposed in May. The restrictions bar entry of most non-us residents who have been in those countries in the previous 14 days, but the State Department has been granting some “national interest exceptions” to allow travellers from Europe. The US has also approved exceptions for some European business travellers, investors, academics, students and journalists.
Nearly all of Europe still bans most US travellers from visiting, while Britain and Ireland allow American visits but require two weeks of quarantine.
On Saturday, the CDC issued new recommendations for international air travellers, advising they “get tested with a viral test one to three days before their flight”. It added: “Travellers should get tested three to five days after travel and stay home for seven days.”