US panels to study reopening Canada, Mexico, EU, UK travel

The Biden administration is forming working groups with Canada, Mexico, the EU and the UK to examine how to reopen international travel as the coronavirus pandemic eases, a White House official said Wednesday. The announcement, which came shortly before President Joe Biden arrived in the U.K. for a Group of Seven summit, comes as international allies and airlines have pushed the White House to ease travel restrictions amid a decrease in US coronavirus cases. The working groups will include members of the White House COVID Response Team, the National Security Council, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Departments of State, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and Transportation, the official said. The US has signaled it is moving toward reopening travel. The State Department on Tuesday loosened its travel warnings for dozens of nations, including France, Canada and Germany. The status change - from level 4, or “do not travel” to level 3, or “reconsider travel” - was made after the CDC changed the methodology for its travel health notices, according to the State Department. It was the first major relaxation of such warnings since the early months of the pandemic, and was designed to “provide US travelers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions,” the Department said.<br/>