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President Donald Trump on Monday lifted a ban on travellers arriving from much of Europe and Brazil, effective from January 26, after the US recently announced all incoming air passengers will need a negative Covid-19 test before departure.
“This action is the best way to continue protecting Americans from COVID-19 while enabling travel to resume safely,” Trump said in a statement released by the White House.
Travel bans remain in place for China and Iran.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last Tuesday that all air passengers bound for the US are required to test negative for Covid-19 within three days of their departure.
The test policy will also take effect on January 26, and expands on a previous testing rule that targeted Britain and came into effect in December, following the emergence of a coronavirus variant believed to be more transmissible.
The CDC recommends that travellers get tested again three to five days after their arrival, and stay home for at least seven days.
Some epidemiologists have warned it is likely that new, more transmissible variants are already establishing themselves in the United States, the hardest-hit country in the world by the pandemic.
As of Monday, the US had recorded more than 24 million cases of Covid-19, with nearly 400,000 deaths.
