President-elect Joe Biden has expressed his intention to quickly reverse President Donald Trump‘s recent decision to lift COVID-19 restrictions on foreign citizens traveling from Europe and Brazil, marking the latest tension between the two administrations as their fraught transition draws to a close.
With support from members of the coronavirus task force, Trump on Monday signed an order rescinding the travel restrictions imposed in the early stages of the pandemic. Biden spokesperson Jen Psaki responded immediately, tweeting, “on the advice of our medical team, the Administration does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26.”
“With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel,” Psaki added. “In fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”
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The restrictions barred almost all foreign citizens from entering the U.S. if they have visited Brazil, the United Kingdom or more than two dozen countries in Europe over the last two-week period. From January 26, the day that Trump’s order is expected to take effect, nearly all travelers flying into the U.S. will need to produce a negative coronavirus test or provide documentation of their recovery to enter the country.
Biden can reimpose the travel bans after he takes office on January 20.
The transition from Trump’s presidency to Biden’s has been marked with tension from the day that media outlets called the election for the Democrat in November. Trump’s months-long refusal to accept his election defeat obstructed and delayed the process, and Biden has accused the president of impeding his plan to hit the ground running after Inauguration Day.
In December, the president-elect accused Trump appointees at the Pentagon of risking national safety by blocking his transition team from vital information. That month, the Defense Department, where Trump loyalist Kash Patel was picked to handle the transition, paused meetings, prompting outrage from Biden and his incoming officials.
Trump finally conceded the election earlier this month, a day after a mob of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving five dead, including a Capitol police officer. The House voted to impeach Trump for a second time on January 13 for inciting the Capitol insurrection.
Meanwhile, Biden is also expected to reverse a slew of controversial Trump policies with executive actions as soon as he takes office this week. According to a memo, the incoming president plans to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, roll back travel bans on some majority Muslim countries and mandate mask use on federal property throughout the pandemic.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.
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