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US may ban travellers from Brazil on Sunday over coronavirus outbreak

WION Web Team
New York, New York, United States of AmericaUpdated: May 24, 2020, 10:16 PM IST
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Coronavirus in USA Photograph:(AFP)

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US President Donald Trump had earlier said he was considering imposing a ban on travel from Brazil.

The United States is likely to impose travel restrictions on Brazil on Sunday, in the wake of the South American nation becoming the world No 2 hot spot for coronavirus cases.

US President Donald Trump had earlier said he was considering imposing a ban on travel from Brazil.

"I don’t want people coming over here and infecting our people. I don’t want people over there sick either. We’re helping Brazil with ventilators. Brazil is having some trouble, no question about it," Trump told reporters at the White House.

To this end, National security advisor Robert O'Brien on Saturday told CBS' "Face the Nation" there would likely be a decision to suspend entry for travellers arriving from Brazil.

"We hope that'll be temporary," he added.

Brazil became the world No. 2 hot spot for coronavirus cases on Friday, second only to the United States, and now has over 3,47,000 people infected by the virus.

O'Brien said the United States would look at restrictions for other countries in the Southern Hemisphere on a country-by-country basis.

Trump suspended entry of most travellers from China, where the outbreak began, in January. In early March, he imposed travel restrictions on people coming from Europe.

The proposal to add Brazil to the list of countries that face a bar on nearly all non-American citizens from entering the United States would bar most people who have visited Brazil within the past 14 days.

Green card holders, close relatives of US citizens and flight crew members would be exempt.