With just hours before he leaves the White House, US President Donald Trump has made a huge statement by drastically changing the nation's travel rules, but the incoming Biden administration says it will reverse the changes.
Trump issued a proclamation lifting entry bans on most non-US citizens arriving from Brazil and much of Europe – despite the emergence of new Covid-19 variants in both parts of the world.
The current rules bar nearly all non-US citizens who within the last 14 days have been in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the 26 countries of the Schengen area in Europe that allow travel across open borders.
Trump intends for the new rules to come into effect from January 26. They state that anyone coming into the country on an international flight must have a negative coronavirus test or proof of recovery from Covid.
"This action is the best way to continue protecting Americans from Covid-19 while enabling travel to resume safely," Trump said in a statement released by the White House.
