Biden, US President, Restricts Entry of South African Travelers Due to 'Variant Virus'

On the 25th, Trump to Sign Executive Order Nullifying Entry Ban Lifting Directive

President Joe Biden of the United States [Image source= AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to sign an executive order on the 25th (local time) regarding restrictions on the entry of overseas travelers, AP News reported on the 24th. Through this, President Biden plans to nullify former President Donald Trump's executive order lifting entry restrictions and include South Africa, where a new variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been detected, in the list of newly restricted countries for entry.

The United States has restricted entry of travelers from the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom, China, and Iran since March last year, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and from May, Brazil was also added to the list of restricted countries.

Former President Donald Trump signed an executive order lifting entry restrictions on countries other than Iran and China shortly before leaving office. Trump's executive order was set to take effect on the 26th.

President Biden expressed opposition immediately after Trump signed the executive order and stated that he would reverse Trump's order to maintain entry restrictions once he took office.

AP News cited White House officials saying that President Biden will maintain the current entry restrictions and newly include South Africa in the list of restricted countries.

South Africa, along with the United Kingdom, is a place where a COVID-19 variant was recently identified. The UK-origin variant has already been confirmed to be spreading in many U.S. states, but the South Africa-origin variant has not yet been detected in the United States.

President Biden issued an executive order last week immediately after taking office regarding COVID-19 testing measures for those entering the United States. According to this, all travelers aged 2 and older entering the U.S. must submit a test result showing a negative COVID-19 test taken within 3 days before entry before they can move within the United States.

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