Trump, Biden Go Eyeball to Eyeball on Travel Restrictions

President Donald Trump on Monday said he is ending Covid-19 travel restrictions for air travelers from Europe and Brazil, a move that the incoming administration quickly rejected.

In a proclamation, Trump said the restrictions would be lifted effective Jan. 26, the same day a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order requiring a negative test for air travelers coming to the U.S. takes effect.

But by then, Joe Biden will be president, and his incoming press secretary tweeted that the restrictions would remain in place.

"With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel," Biden's press secretary, Jen Psaki, tweeted Monday. "... In fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19."

On the advice of our medical team, the Administration does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26. In fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Trump's proclamation said the restrictions would be lifted for Europe and Brazil because the U.S. is confident they will comply with an order requiring a negative Covid-19 test for those traveling by air to the U.S.

The CDC earlier this month announced that starting Jan. 26, all air passengers from other countries would be required to test negative for Covid-19 before coming to the U.S.

If the restrictions are lifted as in Trump's proclamation, travelers from the United Kingdom, the Schengen Area in Europe, and Ireland and Brazil would still have to test negative for Covid-19.

But the current restrictions that bar all non-US citizens who have been to those countries within the last 14 days would be lifted, according to a White House official.

Source: NBC News