US Biden Administration Likely to Maintain Entry Restrictions for EU, Brazil, and UK

Joe Biden, who will officially be inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States on the 20th (local time)
[Image source= AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The United States is expected to continue restricting entry for foreigners who have traveled to the European Union (EU), Brazil, and the United Kingdom.

Although U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to lift entry restrictions, incoming President Joe Biden is reported by Bloomberg on the 18th (local time) to not accept this.

President Trump announced on the same day that entry restrictions on citizens from the EU, Brazil, and the UK would be lifted starting from the 26th. Since March last year, during the early stages of the pandemic, the U.S. has restricted entry for travelers from the EU, China, and Iran, and from May, Brazil was also included in the list of countries subject to entry restrictions. President Trump stated that Iran and China were excluded because they did not properly cooperate with U.S. quarantine measures, and that entry restrictions on other countries would be lifted.

However, once the Biden administration officially takes office on the 20th, entry restrictions on the EU, Brazil, and the UK are expected to remain in place.

Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary nominee, stated that the Biden administration plans to reject Trump's lifting of entry restrictions. Psaki wrote on Twitter, "Based on medical advice, the Biden administration has no intention of lifting entry restrictions," and added, "We will strengthen public health measures related to international travel to prevent the spread of COVID-19."

A more contagious variant of the virus was discovered in the UK, and it has been confirmed that the variant has spread to other countries including the United States. Psaki stated that, accordingly, entry restrictions must be maintained.

According to the U.S. aviation industry, the number of overseas arrivals has recently been gradually rebounding but still remains at about 15% of last year's level. In contrast, the number of domestic passengers has recovered to about 40-50% of last year's level. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has exceeded 24 million, with the death toll approaching 400,000.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.