US imposes travel restrictions on foreign nationals from Brazil

In a Presidential Proclamation issued on Sunday, May 24, it was announced that foreign nationals of all nationalities, including Brazilians, will not be permitted to enter the United States if they have been in Brazil within 14 days of arriving at a US port of entry.

The advisory, which is meant to serve to hinder the further transmission of COVID-19, will enter into effect at 11:59 pm EDT (8:59 pm PDT) on May 28, 2020.

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However, there are exceptions to the new policy. The restriction is not applicable to US citizens, legal permanent residents (those in possession of Green Cards), most immediate family members of citizens, or legal permanent residents.

The proclamation also does not mean that flights are cancelled. Scheduled commercial routes to the US remain available from Sao Paulo and Campinas.

“We continue to encourage US citizens who wish to return to the United States to make commercial flight arrangements as soon as possible unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period,” the US Embassy and Consulates in Brazil
explains on its website.

“The COVID-19 pandemic remains an evolving situation, and flight schedules may change with little to no notice. The US government does not currently anticipate arranging repatriation flights from Brazil. ”

According to the website, President Trump determined that restricting travel for foreign nationals in Brazil, regardless of their nationality, is necessary given the “potential for undetected transmission of the virus by infected individuals travelling from Brazil into the United States.”

Brazil implemented similar measures on March 30 and has since extended them twice to help aid in the prevention and spread of coronavirus.

The proclamation will remain in effect until President Trump himself terminates it.

“These measures apply to all foreign national travellers, regardless of nationality, but based on travellers’ physical presence in Brazil,” the site explains.

Brazil has seen a substantial surge in coronavirus cases, citing nearly 20,000 new confirmed cases in one day last Wednesday.

According to the country’s Ministry of Health website, as of May 25, the total number of confirmed known cases in Brazil is 363,211, making it the country with the second-largest number of known coronavirus cases in the world behind the United States.