WASHINGTON — A ban on foreign travelers arriving in the United States from Brazil due to the surge in coronavirus cases there will now take effect late Tuesday, two days earlier than previously announced.
The ban had been set to go into effect late Thursday. The White House announced the change Monday without explanation.
Brazil is second to the U.S. in the number of confirmed covid-19 cases, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University, and has seen cases surge in recent days.
The White House cited Brazil’s status as Latin America’s hardest-hit country on Sunday when it announced the ban, saying it would prevent additional infections in the U.S.
Foreign nationals who have been to Brazil in the two weeks before they attempt to enter the U.S. are to be turned back under the ban. The ban does not apply to U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, and their spouses, parents or children.
