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President Trump on Monday ordered an end to the ban on travelers from Europe and Brazil that aimed to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the United States, a move that was quickly rejected by aides to President-elect Joseph R Biden Jr., who said Mr Biden would reverse the move when he took office on Wednesday.
In a proclamation issued Monday evening, Mr. Trump said the travel restrictions, which applied to non-citizens trying to come to the United States after spending time in these areas, would no longer be necessary on January 26, date by which these passengers must show proof of a negative coronvirus test before boarding a flight.
Mr Trump wrote that Alex Azar, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, had recommended ending restrictions on travel from most parts of Europe and Brazil, while maintaining restrictions on Iran and China, which Mr. Trump said had not been cooperative.
“I agree with the secretary that this action is the best way to continue to protect Americans from Covid-19 while allowing travel to resume safely,” the president said in the proclamation.
But Jen Psaki, the new White House press secretary for Mr. Biden, said the new administration would not allow Mr. Trump’s directives to come into effect.
“With the pandemic worsening and more contagious variants emerging around the world, now is not the time to lift restrictions on international travel,” Psaki tweeted shortly after the White House issued Mr. Trump’s proclamation.
“On the advice of our medical team, the administration does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26,” she said. “In fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures regarding international travel to further mitigate the spread of Covid-19.”
Mr Trump’s attempt to change pandemic-related policy just two days before his departure is in keeping with the unorthodox manner in which he has led the transition to a new administration. Normally, outgoing presidents refrain from issuing new decrees without consulting the incoming president.
But Mr. Trump refused to meet those standards. On Monday, he also released several other executive orders that will most likely be overturned or rescinded by Mr Biden, including one that would allow federal agencies to issue new regulations only at the instigation of politically appointed people.
He also issued an executive order directing the federal government not to purchase drones “which present unacceptable risks and which are manufactured by foreign adversaries or which contain critical software or electronic components.”
The travel restrictions proclamation appears to be an effort to help airlines and hotel industries, which have been hit hard by the ban. In the proclamation, Mr. Trump said the ban was no longer necessary because unrestricted travel to the United States “is no longer prejudicial to the interests of the United States” and added that it was “in the interests of the United States to end the suspension of entry into the United States of persons who were physically present in those jurisdictions.”
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