US will not immediately lift travel restrictions, says White House exec

FILE PHOTO: Travelers queue in a security line limited to every other lane for social distancing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Washington, U.S. April 12, 2021. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will not immediately lift any international travel restrictions, even as it faces growing pressure from U.S. business groups and lawmakers, a White House official told Reuters on Wednesday.

In June, the administration launched interagency working groups with the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico to look at how to lift restrictions and eventually resume travel.

“While these groups have met a number of times, there are further discussions to be had before we can announce any next steps on travel reopening with any country,” the White House official told Reuters.

“We have made tremendous progress domestically in our vaccination efforts, as have many of these other countries, but we want to ensure that we move deliberately and are in a position to sustainably reopen international travel when it is safe to do so.”

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