This archive report was first published on 25 May 2020.
U.S. Adds Brazil to Travel Ban List Amid COVID-19 Pandemic ¶
On May 23, 2020, the United States added Brazil to its list of countries subject to travel restrictions, citing the country's high number of COVID-19 cases.
The decision was announced by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who stated that President Trump was adding Brazil to the list of places where travel has already been banned, including Europe and China.
"As of May 23, 2020, Brazil had 310,087 confirmed cases of Covid-19, which is the third highest number of confirmed cases in the world," Ms. McEnany said in a statement. "Today's action will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infections in our country."
The ban does not apply to the flow of commerce between the two countries, according to Ms. McEnany.
The decision was detailed in a proclamation issued by the White House on Sunday evening, but had been foreshadowed earlier in the day by Robert O'Brien, the president's national security adviser.
"Because of the situation in Brazil, we are going to take every step necessary to protect the American people," Mr. O'Brien said on the CBS program "Face the Nation."
The move is a setback for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has seen his ratings slide as the outbreak in his country has spun out of control.
Mr. Bolsonaro's office declined to comment on the ban, but his foreign relations adviser, Filipe Martins, said that the ban had been expected and was little more than a formality.
"Ignore the hysteria of the press," Mr. Martins said in a Twitter post.
