A traveler exits a testing center at Heathrow Airport on January 17, 2021 in London.
Hollie Adams | Getty Images News | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Monday lifted a Covid-19 ban on most foreigners from from Europe, the U.K. and Brazil from entering the U.S., effective Jan. 26.
The White House put the rules in place early in the pandemic to curb the spread of the virus. They prohibited entry to the U.S. for most non-U.S. citizens if they had been in Brazil, the 26 countries in the Schengen area of Europe, Ireland or the U.K. in the previous two-week period.
Trump’s order comes less than a week after the U.S. said it would require travelers arriving from abroad, including U.S. citizens, to test negative for Covid-19 before flying. That requirement takes effect on Jan. 26, the same day the travel restrictions would be lifted.
The planned removal of the ban is set to go into effect just days after President-elect Joe Biden‘s Wednesday inauguration.
Airlines have repeatedly asked the U.S. government to lift the travel bans, which have contributed to a sharp decline in air travel demand, with pre-flight Covid-19 testing.