Daily US Times: On Monday, President Joe Biden is to formally reinstate Covid-19 travel restrictions on non-US travelers from Ireland, Brazil, the United Kingdom and 26 other European countries that allow travel across open borders, according to two White House officials.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also confirmed Sunday that South Africa would be added to the Covid-19 travel restricted list because of concerns about a variant of the virus that has spread beyond that nation.
President Biden is reversing an order from former President Trump in his final days in office that called for the relaxation of the travel restrictions as of Tuesday.
The decision to reverse the order is not surprising, but the addition of South Africa to the travel restriction list highlights the new administration’s concern about mutations in the virus.
The new coronavirus variant in South Africa has not been discovered in the US, but another variant — originating in the UK — has been detected in several states.
Reuters news agency was first to report Biden’s decision to add South Africa to the list.
Last week, Joe Biden issued an executive order directing federal agencies to require international air travelers to quarantine upon US arrival. The order also requires that all US-bound passengers ages 2 and above get negative coronavirus test results within three days before traveling.
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