U.S. weighs changes to COVID-19 travel restrictions
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[May 20, 2021]
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden
administration has been weighing changes to sweeping travel restrictions
that bar much of the world's population from coming to the United
States, but has reached no decisions, government and industry officials
told Reuters.
European Union countries agreed on Wednesday to ease COVID-19 travel
restrictions on non-EU visitors ahead of the summer tourist season, a
move that could open the bloc's door to all Britons and to vaccinated
Americans.
Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries approved a European Commission
proposal from May 3 to loosen the criteria to determine "safe" countries
and to let in fully vaccinated tourists from elsewhere, EU sources said.
Biden administration agencies have been holding meetings for more than a
month and reaching out to industry officials about when and how they
could begin to unwind the travel restrictions first imposed in early
2020 in response to COVID-19 that bar much of the world's population
from entering the United States.
Asked whether the United States would allow vaccinated Europeans to
enter, a White House spokesman said there were no changes in travel
restrictions planned at the moment.
The U.S. Travel Association said it hoped the "European Union’s
risk-based, science-driven plan to reopen international travel will
hopefully spur the U.S. to heed the many calls for a plan and timetable
to safely reopen our borders."
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told a news conference on
Wednesday that any decision to lift restrictions "ultimately is a public
health decision and there is an interagency process and obviously the
CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)" is taking a
leading role.
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A United Airlines passenger jet takes off with New York City as a
backdrop, at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, U.S.
December 6, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo
Buttigieg added: "There are two ways of looking at
this - one is to look at countries, the other is to look at
travelers," in terms of trying to maximize safety and allow for more
travel.
A coalition of U.S. and European travel, airline, union, business
and airport groups has called for a full reopening of the U.S.-UK
air travel market “as soon as safely possible" - and hopes both
government will lift restrictions by early June.
Nearly all of Europe still bans most U.S. travelers from visiting,
while Britain allows American visitors but requires a 10-day
quarantine on arrival and two COVID-19 tests.
Since early 2020, the United States has barred nearly all non-U.S.
citizens who have recently been in the UK and much of Europe, as
well as China, Iran and Brazil. This year, Washington added South
Africa and India to the list.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Andrea
Shalal in Washington; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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