US won’t relax travel restrictions as Trump had planned

President Joe Biden will continue to restrict travel to the US from the UK, Ireland and 26 countries in Europe, and will extend the ban to South Africa, to slow transmission of Covid-19, said a White House official familiar with the plan. The latest ban would prevent most non-US citizens from entry if they have recently been in South Africa, where a new strain of the virus has been identified. It’s unclear how long the restrictions will continue. The Trump administration on Jan. 18, two days before Biden’s inauguration, announced a plan to wind down restrictions on travelers from a number of countries starting Jan. 26, when arrivals to the US would need to have tested negative for the virus. At the time, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the incoming administration planned to block the move, saying on Twitter that “this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel.” “In fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Psaki tweeted. Starting Monday, all passengers arriving in the US, including citizens, will be required to get a viral test for the coronavirus within three days of their departure, and to provide written documentation of a negative result.<br/>