UK government wants Donald Trump to lift travel restrictions

The White House is already considering relaxing its travel ban

FILE PHOTO: A British Airways plane taxis past tail fins of parked aircraft near Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London, Britain, March 14, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo

The UK government is attempting to persuade the Trump administration to lift a travel ban that prevents most of its citizens from entering the United States.

There has been no decision so far from President Donald Trump, but UK officials have held a series of high-level talks with White House and US Cabinet officials.

The US currently has a travel ban on non-citizens and non-permanent residents who have visited Brazil as well as Britain, Ireland and 26 other European countries within the previous 14 days, but this ban could soon be lifted.

The British Embassy in Washington and the White House did not immediately comment on the situation on Friday.

The proposal to lift the travel restrictions, which have been in place since mid-March, has won the backing of White House coronavirus task-force members as well as public health and other federal agencies.

In October, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he had urged Mr Trump to ease travel restrictions on Europe and Brazil to help boost the state’s struggling tourism economy.

One hurdle to lifting the restrictions is the high number of coronavirus infections in Europe. The US last week extended travel restrictions on land border crossings from Mexico and Canada through at least January 21.

Nearly all European countries still ban most US travellers from visiting, while Britain allows entry to American visitors but requires a two-week quarantine upon arrival.

Airlines for America, a group representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and others, said last month that it has “been advocating for the federal government to set a national standard on testing in order to lift travel restrictions.”

The UK has also raised the possibility of using testing to establish a flight bubble between London and New York or easing travel restrictions for people who have been vaccinated.

Last month, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new travel and testing recommendations for international air travellers, recommending they “get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before their flight to reduce spread during travel.”