UK government pushes for lifting of U.S. travel restrictions - sources

[rooster59]

UK government pushes for lifting of U.S. travel restrictions - sources

By David Shepardson

 

FILE PHOTO: Tail Fins of British Airways planes are seen parked at Heathrow airport, in Britain, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The British government is making a concerted effort to persuade the Trump administration to lift or soften travel restrictions that bar most people in the United Kingdom from traveling to the United States, sources briefed on the matter said.

 

On Nov. 25, Reuters reported the White House was considering rescinding entry bans for most non-U.S. citizens who recently were in Brazil, Britain, Ireland and 26 other European countries.

 

Since then there has been no decision by President Donald Trump, but UK officials have held a series of high-level talks with White House and Cabinet officials.

 

The White House declined to comment on Friday.

 

But in an email to Reuters, a spokeswoman for the UK Department for Transport said "restarting transatlantic flights is of critical importance to the economic recovery of the UK and the US, the airline industry and for British nationals, most of whom cannot enter the US. British officials continue to pursue the resolution to this issue."

 

The proposal to lift the travel restrictions won the backing of White House coronavirus task-force members, public health and other federal agencies, Reuters reported in November.

 

In October, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he had urged Trump to ease travel restrictions from Europe and Brazil to help boost the state's struggling tourism economy.

 

One hurdle to lifting the restrictions is the high number of coronavirus infections in Europe. The United States last week extended travel restrictions on Mexico and Canadian land border crossings through at least Jan. 21.

 

The U.S. restrictions barring most visitors from Europe have been in place since mid-March to address the coronavirus pandemic, barring entry of most non-U.S. residents who have been in those countries in the previous 14 days.

 

Nearly all of Europe still bans most U.S. travelers from visiting, while Britain allows American visits but requires two-weeks quarantine upon arrival.

 

Airlines for America, a group representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and others, told Reuters last month it has "been advocating for the federal government to set a national standard on testing in order to lift travel restrictions."

 

The British also raised the possibility of using testing to establish a flight bubble between London and New York or easing travel restrictions for people who have been vaccinated.

 

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new travel and testing recommendations for international air travelers recommending they "get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before their flight to reduce spread during travel."

 

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-19

 

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[Bluespunk]

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The British government is making a concerted effort to persuade the Trump administration to lift or soften travel restrictions that bar most people in the United Kingdom from traveling to the United States, sources briefed on the matter said.

News coming from U.K. might put kibosh  on that

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/18/boris-johnson-calls-crisis-meeting-to-discuss-response-to-new-covid-strain?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[sammieuk1]

Looks like Boris has made a brexit out of covid and it's mutated to a cummings here and Trump has made a covfefe out of just about everything there Merry Christmas ????

[GrandPapillon]

someone is believing in father Christmas again,

[pegman]

Trump may be nuts, but he's not Boris like crazy

[wombat]

anything to deflect and give hope i guess

[George Aylesham]

Why on earth would anyone want to travel to what is probably the world's most dangerous country for COVID19? 3,500 deaths in the USA yesterday.

[vandeventer]

Get the vaccines first Boris travel later, but get the good vaccines, as I hear the Chinese ones don't work so good.

[Thingamabob]

1 hour ago, George Aylesham said:

Why on earth would anyone want to travel to what is probably the world's most dangerous country for COVID19? 3,500 deaths in the USA yesterday.

USA population 328 million, land mass 9.8 million square kilometers.

[Traubert]

1 hour ago, vandeventer said:

Get the vaccines first Boris travel later, but get the good vaccines, as I hear the Chinese ones don't work so good.

Where did you hear that? Or is it false?

[Traubert]

10 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

USA population 328 million, land mass 9.8 million square kilometers.

All of it absolutely ridden with the disease.

 

Except Alaska.

[Sharron Merrilees]

10 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

USA population 328 million, land mass 9.8 million square kilometers.

What I can not understand is why other countries would aloud people from the US or even UK  in, i am in Austalia and once again we have country boarders closed, We are letting mostly Flights in from anywhere, China they aren't talking to us for one thing or another. I hope now that US &UK have a vaccine it will change and TRUMP is out.

[Chomper Higgot]

11 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

USA population 328 million, land mass 9.8 million square kilometers.

Then travel into and through mad transport hubs.

 

None of which are located in uninhabited wilderness.

[from the home of CC]

don't do it America, you have enough problems..

[Bluespunk]

Spanner, meet “the works”, please come in. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/20/belgium-italy-and-netherlands-ban-flights-from-uk-over-new-covid-strain?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other