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The US had deployed entry restrictions for travelers from Europe and other parts of the world due to the Corona pandemic – and now does not want to override them.
“Because of the Delta variant, we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday. Because of the Delta variant, Corona case numbers would rise – especially among the unvaccinated.
Forecast on Corona numbers in U.S.
“And it seems likely that this will continue in the coming weeks,” Psaki added. The EU had already asked member states last month to gradually lift restrictions on travelers from the U.S. and several other countries. Germany had responded by allowing entries again from the U.S., among others, “for all permissible purposes of stay, including tourism.”
The fact that the U.S. did not ease its restrictions on travelers from Europe in return caused criticism in Europe. Entry into the U.S. from the Schengen area is still generally only possible for foreigners with an exceptional permit. The Biden administration has always stressed that it is guided by scientific evidence in its decisions on the pandemic.
U.S. President Biden had held out the prospect of announcement
Many had hoped for movement on the issue during Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Washington in mid-July. U.S. President Joe Biden had announced in a joint press conference with Merkel that he would speak out on the issue in the coming days. Merkel had said she had raised the issue at the meeting with Biden. The chancellor had stressed that a sustainable decision must now be made that would not be reversed after a short time.
In order to protect themselves from the pandemic, all EU states except Ireland as well as the non-EU states of Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland had agreed in March 2020 on recommendations to largely stop non-mandatory entries from third countries – including for Americans. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, had also ordered an entry ban on foreigners from much of Europe in March 2020. Foreigners from the Schengen area, Great Britain and Ireland are not allowed to enter the U.S. so far, with exceptions. Foreigners from India, China, Brazil, South Africa and Iran are also banned in principle from entering the USA.
USA confronted with consequence of Corona Delta variant
Trump had already ordered an end to the ban on entry from Europe in January – shortly before he left office. But his successor, Biden, rejected the relaxation in the midst of the pandemic – so Trump’s decision never went into effect. At the time, the Corona situation in the U.S., as in Europe, was still dramatic. In the meantime, however, the situation has improved significantly in view of progressive vaccination campaigns on both sides of the Atlantic. Because of the delta variant, case numbers are again rising significantly in both the USA and Europe.
- sources: vienna.at/APA/picture: pixabay.com
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