Covid 19 coronavirus: Trump moves to lift travel restrictions in the EU, UK and Brazil

Just hours before he leaves the White House, US President Donald Trump has made a big statement by drastically changing the nation’s travel rules, but the incoming Biden administration says it will reverse the changes.

Trump issued a proclamation lifting entry bans for most non-U.S. Citizens arriving from Brazil and much of Europe, despite the emergence of new variants of Covid-19 in both parts of the world.

Current rules prohibit almost all non-US citizens who have been in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the 26 Schengen countries in Europe in the past 14 days from allowing travel across open borders.

Trump intends for the new rules to go into effect on January 26. They claim that anyone entering the country on an international flight must have a negative coronavirus test or a Covid recovery test.

“This action is the best way to continue to protect Americans from Covid-19 while allowing travel to resume safely,” Trump said in a statement issued by the White House.

China and Iran are still banned, Trump said, because both nations “have repeatedly failed to cooperate with US public health authorities or share timely and accurate information on the spread of the virus.”

The incoming Biden administration responded immediately to the announcement and vowed to reverse the move. “On the advice of our medical team, the Administration does not intend to lift these restrictions,” incoming White House press secretary Jen Psaki wrote on Twitter.

The United States is approaching 400,000 total deaths from Covid-19 and new daily cases have reached record levels.

Joe Biden will be sworn in as the new president on Thursday.