President Joe Biden speaks on the coronavirus, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington on Thursday, January 21, 2021. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden will officially reintroduce COVID-19 travel restrictions on non-U.S. Travelers from Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom and 26 other European countries that allow travel across open borders on Monday, according to two White House officials.
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Officials, who spoke of the order on condition of anonymity, also confirmed on Sunday that South Africa would be included on the restricted list due to concerns about a variant of the virus that has spread beyond that nation.
Biden cancels an order from President Donald Trump in his final days in office calling for travel restrictions to be relaxed from Tuesday.
The decision to reverse the order isn’t surprising, but the addition of South Africa to the restricted travel list underscores the new administration’s concern about mutations in the virus.
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The South African variant was not discovered in the US, but another variant – originating in the United Kingdom – has been discovered in several states.
Reuters was the first to report Biden’s decision to add South Africa to the list.
Biden issued an executive order last week instructing federal agencies to quarantine international air travelers upon arrival in the U.S. The order also requires that all U.S. passengers aged 2 and over receive negative COVID-19 test results within three days of travel.
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