US restricts entry of foreigners from Brazil due to coronavirus

25 May Washington [USA] : The United States said on Sunday (local time) that it is restricting the entry of non-US citizens travelling from Brazil as the Latin American country is witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases.

“Today, the President has taken the decisive action to protect our country by suspending the entry of aliens who have been in Brazil during the 14-day period before seeking admittance to the United States,” White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.

McEnany said that the action will help ensure foreign nationals, who have been in Brazil, do not become a source of additional infections in the United States. “These new restrictions do not apply to the flow of commerce between the United States and Brazil,” she said.

Last week, Trump told reporters that his administration was considering to suspend travel from Brazil, which has reported more than 22,500 deaths due to the coronavirus.

Brazil has surpassed Russia as the country with the second-highest reported coronavirus cases in the world on Friday, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. As of Saturday, Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, has recorded 347,398 virus cases.