President Joe Biden will officially reimplement coronavirus travel restrictions on Monday for non-US citizens from Brazil, Ireland, Great Britain and 26 other European nations that allow travel across open borders, two White House officials reported Sunday.
Officials, who testified on condition of anonymity to discuss the order, also confirmed that South Africa would be added to the list of restricted countries due to concerns about a variant of the virus that has spread beyond that nation.
Biden is reversing an order implemented by former President Donald Trump in his final days in office that called for the relaxation of travel restrictions starting Tuesday.
The decision to reverse the order is not surprising, but the addition of South Africa to the list of countries with travel restrictions highlights the new government’s concern over mutations in the virus.
The variant registered in South Africa has not been found in the United States, but another variant, originating in Great Britain, has been detected in several states.
The Reuters news agency was the first outlet to report Biden’s decision to add South Africa to the list.
Last week, the president issued an executive order in which he instructed federal agencies to request international travelers to self-quarantine after arriving in the nation by air. The order also requires that all U.S.-bound passengers age 2 and older show a negative COVID-19 test performed within three days of their trip.
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