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White House Reportedly Weighs Reopening Travel With Europe Despite Surge in COVID-19 Cases

© AP Photo / Julie JacobsonStranded travelers and airport workers watch front loaders clear snow from the apron around Gates C and D at Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018, in New York.
Stranded travelers and airport workers watch front loaders clear snow from the apron around Gates C and D at Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018, in New York. - Sputnik International
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If the plan is approved, it would reverse travel restrictions President Donald Trump imposed earlier this year as COVID-19 was tearing through Europe and Asia.

The White House has held negotiations on resuming travel to the US from the UK and other European countries as well as Brazil, according to people familiar with the matter, as Bloomberg reported.

The US National Security Council and National Economic Council officials have been considering the possible limited reopening of travel between the countries even amid the rise in COVID-19 cases while still keeping in place bans on travel from China and Iran, according to the report.

If the plan is approved, it would reverse travel restrictions President Donald Trump imposed earlier this year as COVID-19 hit Europe and Asia.

Currently, a traveller from Europe or the UK can only enter the United States if they are a US citizen or resident, while Americans must quarantine for 14 days when arriving in Europe or Britain.

As of 10 December, there have been more than 14 million COVID-19 cases on the continent of Europe, according to data provided by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). In the wake of a second coronavirus surge, European countries are imposing new lockdowns.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a session on COVID-19 situation update at the House of Commons in London, Britain December 1, 2020 - Sputnik International
UK MPs Approve New COVID Tier System to Replace Lockdown in England
The new restrictions in the UK came earlier this month with the new tier system, envisioning different regions classified as "medium", "high" or "very high" tiers. Under the new tier system, around 58 percent of England's population is expected to fall into Tier 2 - "high" - and around 42 percent of the population will be placed in the "very high" Tier 3, with only the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly designated for Tier 1.

In October, US authorities were considering the creation of a safe travel corridor between New York City and London, with a shortened period of quarantine, according to The WSJ.

So far, the US tops the list of nations most affected by COVID-19 with over 15.3 million cases and 289,000 COVID-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The UK has registered over 1.7 million cases and has a death toll of more than 63,000.

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