Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Rejects Trump's Orders To Lift Travel Ban From England, Brazil
President Trump on Monday ordered an end to the ban on travelers from Europe and Brazil that had been aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus to the United States, a move quickly rejected by aides to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., who said Mr. Biden will maintain the ban when he takes office on Wednesday. In a proclamation issued late Monday, Mr. Trump said that the travel restrictions, which apply to noncitizens trying to come to the United States after spending time in those areas, would no longer be needed on Jan. 26, the date on which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will start requiring all passengers from abroad to present proof of a negative coronavirus test before boarding a flight. (Shear, 1/18)
But Mr. Biden鈥檚 incoming White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, wrote on Twitter on Monday night that the Biden administration wouldn鈥檛 lift the travel restrictions on Jan. 26. 鈥淲ith the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel,鈥 she wrote. 鈥淥n 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.鈥. (Sider and Restuccia, 1/18)
President-elect Joe Biden鈥檚 incoming administration rejected a move by President Donald Trump to rescind coronavirus-related travel bans for non-American citizens arriving from the European Union, the U.K. and Brazil, which means the curbs will stay in effect. Trump said in a White House announcement Monday that the bans could be lifted because of a decision last week by the administration to require international travelers to present either the results of a negative recent coronavirus test or evidence that they had already recovered from the disease. The change would go into effect starting Jan. 26, six days after Biden takes office. (Sink and Levin, 1/18)