President Donald 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 that was quickly rejected by aides to President-elect Joe Biden, who said Biden will rescind the move when he takes office on Wednesday.
In a proclamation issued late Monday, Trump said that the travel restrictions, which applied to noncitizens trying to come to the United States, would no longer be needed on Jan. 26, the date on which those passengers will be required to present proof of a negative Covid-19 test before boarding a flight.
Trump wrote that Alex Azar, the secretary of Health and Human Services, had recommended ending the restrictions on travel from most parts of Europe and Brazil, while maintaining restrictions on Iran and China, which Trump said had not been cooperative.
But Jen Psaki, the incoming White House press secretary for Biden, said the new administration would not allow Trump’s directives to take effect.
“With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel,” Psaki tweeted shortly after the White House issued Trump’s proclamation.
Trump’s attempt to alter policy related to the pandemic just days before he leaves office is in keeping with the unorthodox way he has conducted the transition to a new administration. Normally, outgoing presidents refrain from issuing new executive orders without consulting with the incoming president.
The proclamation on the travel restrictions appeared to be an effort to help the airlines and the hospitality industries, which have been hard hit by the ban. In the proclamation, he said that the ban is no longer needed because unrestricted travel into the United States “is no longer detrimental to the interests of the United States” and added that he finds it is “in the interest of the United States to terminate the suspension of entry into the United States of persons who have been physically present in those jurisdictions.”
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