Washington:
President Joe Biden will impose a ban on most non-U.S. citizens getting into the nation who have lately been in South Africa beginning Saturday in a bid to include the spread of a new variant of COVID-19, a senior U.S. public overall health official told Reuters.
Biden on Monday is also reimposing an entry ban on almost all non-U.S. travelers who have been in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and 26 nations in Europe that enable travel across open borders.
“We are adding South Africa to the restricted list because of the concerning variant present that has already spread beyond South Africa,” mentioned Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s principal deputy director, in an interview Sunday.
She added the agency was “putting in place this suite of measures to protect Americans and also to reduce the risk of these variants spreading and worsening the current pandemic.”
Then-President Donald Trump directed on Jan. 18 these restrictions on Brazil and Europe be lifted productive Tuesday but Biden’s proclamation will rescind that selection.
Biden, who took workplace on Wednesday, is taking an aggressive method to combating the spread of the virus immediately after Trump rejected mandates sought by U.S. overall health agencies.
Some overall health officials are concerned that existing vaccines may perhaps not be productive against the South Africa variant, which also raises the prospect of re-infection.
The South African variant, also identified as the 501Y.V2 variant, is 50% more infectious and has been detected in at least 20 nations. CDC officials told Reuters they would be open to adding further nations to the list if necessary.
The South African variant has not but been identified in the United States but at least 20 U.S. states have detected a UK variant identified as B.1.1.7. Current vaccines seem productive against the UK mutations.
The South African embassy in Washington did not quickly respond to a request for comment.
CDC Orders Coming
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director (CDC) head Rochelle Walensky will sign a separate order Monday requiring masks on all airplanes, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-share cars for all travelers two and older, officials mentioned. The new specifications are set to take impact in the coming days, they mentioned, and masks can be removed for short periods although consuming or drinking.
On Tuesday, new CDC guidelines take impact requiring all international air travelers 2 and older to present a damaging coronavirus test taken inside 3 calendar days of travel or proof of recovery from COVID-19 to enter the United States.
The CDC will not, as it mentioned on Jan. 12, look at granting short-term waivers to airlines to exempt some travelers from nations with restricted testing capacity. Numerous U.S. airlines final week had asked CDC for waivers, airline officials mentioned.
But CDC officials mentioned they would look at case-by-case humanitarian exemptions for some travelers if necessary.
CDC officials noted 120 nations at the moment have mandatory COVID-19 testing specifications for international travel.
The CDC order says travelers should really self-quarantine for seven days upon return to the United States and look at obtaining a new COVID-19 test inside 3 to 5 days of returning to the United States.
“With the pandemic worsening and these more contagious variants emerging it’s not the time to lift restrictions on international travel,” Schuchat mentioned.
CDC officials have for weeks discussed the possibility of adding these testing specifications prior to U.S. domestic flights or requiring testing upon return from international travel but have created no choices.
The U.S. restrictions barring most guests from Europe have been in location due to the fact mid-March when Trump signed proclamations imposing them, although the Brazilian entry ban was imposed in May. The restriction, along with the new South Africa ones, imply most non-U.S. citizens who have been in 1 of these nations inside the final 14 days are not eligible to travel to the United States.
Permanent U.S. residents and loved ones members and some other non-U.S. citizens are permitted to return to the United States beneath the order.
Under Trump, the CDC push to mandate masks in transit was blocked and the agency rather only issued powerful suggestions for mask use and officials initially blocked mandating COVID-19 testing for travelers from the UK prior to relenting on Dec. 24.
Trump opposed efforts by Congress to call for masks in transit. Airlines have needed passengers to put on masks and some regional governments mandate mask use.
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