U.S. President Joe Biden is saying his administration is in the process of working to lift travel bans and should have more definitive information to share in the coming days.
During a recent visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House, the President was asked about the main argument for not lifting the travel ban for the Schengen region.
“It’s in process now. And I’ll be able to answer that question to you within the next several days,” Biden said. “I’m waiting to hear ... from our COVID team as to when that should be done.”
Merkel explained she also discussed the issue with Biden and “got the same answer ... the COVID team is evaluating the matter.”
Merkel noted that with the COVID-19 Delta variant on the rise, “that is, again, a new challenge to both of us,” and any decision regarding travel bans has to be sustainable.
“It is certainly not sensible to have to take it back after only a few days,” Merkel stated, adding she has “every confidence in the American COVID team.”
The Biden administration has been under increasing pressure to alter its stance on travel bans. Recently, a coalition of two-dozen trade associations representing the U.S. travel and hospitality industries released a blueprint for the safe restart of international air travel by July 15, urging the Biden administration to take quick action to lift restrictions on foreign arrivals.
The blueprint created by those organizations suggested the government maintains restrictions on only the highest risk countries, such as those with a high prevalence of variants of concern.
The framework also proposed to create a country level risk assessment based on internationally recognized public health indicators. Within countries, it would establish a “tiered matrix of entry requirements” that distinguishes between individual traveler risk profiles, such as whether the person is fully vaccinated, or recently recovered, from COVID-19.
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