Commerce Secretary Raimondo pushing to lift tough U.S. travel restrictions

WASHINGTON, July 12 (Reuters) – U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated on Monday she is pressing for the easing of coronavirus limitations that bar considerably of the earth from traveling to the United States but that U.S. health and fitness officials continue to be anxious about more outbreaks.

Dozen of U.S. enterprise groups, lawmakers and officials from foreign governments are urging President Joe Biden’s administration to unwind challenging constraints put in put less than former President Donald Trump. study more

“We are doing the job it,” Raimondo advised Reuters in an job interview “I’m pushing genuinely really hard.”

She explained she met with U.S. Wellness and Human Products and services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Friday but had no facts on when a choice could be made.

“The CDC is anxious, and it is really really hard to know if people today are vaccinated,” she stated. “You will find no vaccine passport which is dependable, and which is kind of a large hurdle.”

The White Dwelling says it is continuing discussions with the European Union, Britain, Canada and Mexico on how to sooner or later lift limits, but U.S. officers say they continue to have no timetable and journey market officials think the limits may possibly not be lifted until eventually August or afterwards.

The White Dwelling has repeatedly dominated out a nationwide vaccine passport.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has joined Raimondo in pushing for lifting limitations, in accordance to resources acquainted with the discussions, but many others in the administration keep on being nervous that opening the doorway to far more tourists from overseas could guide to improves in COVID-19 an infection charges.

A spokeswoman for Becerra had no rapid comment on the meeting with Raimondo.

Airways and others are urging the administration to raise constraints masking most non-U.S. citizens who have lately been in Britain, the 26 Schengen nations in Europe without the need of border controls, Eire, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil.

The United States also bars non-necessary vacationers from crossing into the United States from the Canadian or Mexican land borders.

European diplomats and other individuals argue that the checklist of nations with severe travel constraints incorporates some with reduced an infection charges, although other people with high infection premiums, such as Argentina, facial area no limits.

Reporting by Andrea Shalal Added reporting by David Shepardson Modifying by Heather Timmons and Peter Cooney

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