President Trump on Monday ordered an end to the ban on travelers from Europe and Brazil seeking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus to the United States, a move that was quickly rejected by advisers to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., who said that Biden will terminate the measure when he takes office on Wednesday.
In a proclamation issued on Monday night, Trump said that travel restrictions, which applied to non-citizens who tried to come to the United States after spending time in these areas, would no longer be necessary on January 26, date where these passengers will be required to provide proof of a negative coronvirus test before boarding a flight.
Trump wrote that Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, recommended ending travel restrictions for most of Europe and Brazil, while maintaining restrictions on Iran and China, which Trump said he had not cooperated with.
“I agree with the secretary that this action is the best way to continue protecting Americans from Covid-19 and, at the same time, allow travel to resume safely,” said the president in the proclamation.
But Jen Psaki, Biden’s new press secretary at the White House, said the new government would not allow Trump’s guidelines to take effect.
“With the worsening pandemic and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to lift restrictions on international travel,” tweeted Psaki shortly after the White House released Trump’s proclamation.
“Following the advice of our medical team, the government does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26,” she said. “In fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures in relation to international travel, in order to further reduce the spread of Covid-19.”
Trump’s attempt to change the pandemic-related policy just two days before leaving office is in line with the unorthodox way in which he led the transition to a new government. Normally, presidents who step down avoid issuing new executive orders without consulting the incoming president.
But Mr. Trump refused to comply with those standards. On Monday, he also issued several other executive orders that are likely to be rescinded or reversed by Biden, including one that would allow federal agencies to issue new regulations only on the initiative of political appointees.
He also issued an executive order instructing the federal government not to buy drones “that present unacceptable risks and are manufactured by, or contain software or critical electronic components from foreign adversaries.”
The announcement of travel restrictions appeared to be an effort to help airlines and the hospitality industries, which were hit hard by the ban. In the proclamation, he said the ban is no longer necessary because unrestricted travel to the United States “is no longer detrimental to the interests of the United States” and added that he considers “in the United States’ interest to end the suspension of entry into the United States from persons who have been physically present in those jurisdictions. ”