White House considering lifting European travel restrictions, source says
The White House is strongly considering lifting sweeping restrictions on travel from the European Union and the United Kingdom, an administration official confirmed on Wednesday.
Discussions have been ongoing for several weeks now about lifting the restrictions, which ban entry to most foreigners who have been to Europe in the two weeks before their arrival in the US. Reuters first reported on the discussions.
The White House did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.
An administration official told CNN that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expressed some reservations about lifting the restrictions, but the agency is not expected to block the move.
The discussions come at a time when the US is experiencing its worst surge of coronavirus, and as many European countries also face higher levels of coronavirus cases.
President Donald Trump has yet to sign off on the move, but once he does, the restrictions are unlikely to be lifted until the US and European countries have established a protocol for safe travel.
Trump first banned most travel from the European Union and the UK in March amid an escalating pandemic. The EU soon followed suit, restricting most travel from the US and other countries.
