With virus surging, U.S. to keep travel restrictions
WASHINGTON — The United States served notice Monday that it will keep existing COVID19 restrictions on international travel in place for now due to concerns about the surging infection rate because of the delta variant.
It was the latest sign that the White House is having to recalibrate its thinking around the coronavirus pandemic as the more infectious variant surges across the U.S. and a substantial chunk of the population resists vaccination.
It was also a reversal from the sentiment President Biden voiced earlier this month when he said his administration was “in the process” of considering how soon the U.S. could lift the ban on European travel bound for the U.S. after the issue was raised by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to the White House.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the restrictions would continue for now.
“Driven by the delta variant, cases are rising here at home, particularly among those who are unvaccinated, and appears likely to continue in the weeks ahead,” she said.
The rising cases also are causing the administration to take a closer look at policies on wearing masks.
On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to require its health care workers to get COVID19 vaccines.
The delta variant was first detected in India but now has been identified around the world. Last week, U.S. health officials said the variant accounts for an estimated 83% of U.S. coronavirus cases, and noted a 32% increase in COVID hospitalizations from the previous week.
The surging delta variant could also highlight one of the administration’s greatest struggles thus far: The sluggish vaccination rate nationwide. As of Sunday, 69% of American adults had received one vaccination shot, according to the CDC — still slightly below the 70% goal Biden had set for July 4. Sixty percent of American adults have been fully vaccinated.
Still, it’s clear the administration is taking steps to address the continued impact of the pandemic.
Biden announced Monday that those Americans dealing with socalled “long COVID” — sometimes debilitating side effects caused by the illness that last for months after the initial infection — would have access to disability protections under federal law.
“These conditions can sometimes, sometimes, rise to the level of a disability,” he said, adding they’d have accommodations in schools and workplaces “so they can live their lives in dignity and get the support they need.”
And the CDC advised Americans against travel to the United Kingdom this past Monday given a surge in cases there.
Most of continental Europe has relaxed restrictions on Americans who are fully vaccinated, although the United Kingdom still requires quarantines for most visitors arriving from the U.S. Airlines say, however, that the lack of twoway travel is limiting the number of flights they can offer and seats they can sell.
But the rise and prevalence of coronavirus variants in Europe, especially the delta mutation, has caused the Biden administration to tread slowly about increasing transatlantic travel.