President Joe Biden will again impose a travel ban on COVID-19 President Trump had raised with less than 48 hours to the presidency, a White House official confirmed to CBS News. Biden is expected to reinstate the ban on Monday.
The ban will apply to all non-US travelers returning to the United States from Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and 26 European countries. There will also be travel restrictions for non-Americans entering the United States from South Africa.
Reuters first reported news of a travel ban.
On January 18, the Trump administration announced that it would lift some of the travel ban restrictions that went into effect in March. As of Jan. 26, the Trump administration said it would remove restrictions on travel from Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and parts of Europe. Restrictions on Iran and China would remain under a ban by the Trump administration.
Trump cited coordination with U.S. officials and transparency as justification for lifting travel restrictions in Europe and Brazil.
Biden White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted immediately that the incoming administration had no intention of embracing change.
“With the worsening pandemic and the more contagious variants appearing around the world, this is not the time to remove restrictions on international travel,” Psaki wrote.
The White House official with direct knowledge of the action also said Sunday that the Centers for Disease Control will not consider granting temporary waivers to airlines to exempt countries with limited COVID testing capacity. CDC officials will consider humanitarian exemptions on a case-by-case basis.
A White House official also confirmed to CBS News that CDC director Rochelle Walensky will sign a separate order Monday that will require masks on all common planes, trains, subways, ferries, buses and services such as Uber and Lyft.
Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.