Biden to reinstate coronavirus travel bans: White House Official

Biden, who is determined to curb the pandemic, started a 100 Days Mask Challenge after he came into office.


President Joe Biden will re-impose a Covid-19 travel ban on most non-US citizens who have been in Britain, Brazil, Ireland and much of Europe, a White House official said on Sunday, as the new administration ramps up its pandemic response. Amidst the reports of coronavirus variants being deadlier, the ban on travelers who had recently been to South Africa would be extended, the official said.

Biden, who is determined to curb the pandemic, started a 100 Days Mask Challenge after he came into office. He also ordered travelers to quarantine themselves once they enter the United States. "We're in a national emergency. It's time we treated it like one," he said on Thursday.

Former President Donald Trump had announced during the last days of his term that the COVID-19 ban on travelers arriving mainly from European countries and Brazil would be lifted soon. The ban will be reinstated and will come into effect on January 26. Biden had also proposed a $1.9 trillion relief package in order to fight the pandemic and give a boost to the economy. The US has the highest number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the world. 25 million cases have been recorded so far, as per the John Hopkins University tally on Sunday. 

 

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