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Biden Administration Says No Domestic Travel Restrictions Planned After Reports Spark GOP Fury

This article is more than 3 years old.
Updated Feb 11, 2021, 11:28pm EST

Topline

The Biden administration has denied reports that it’s actively considering domestic travel restrictions to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants, telling Reuters Thursday that “no specific decisions are under consideration” after Florida Republicans slammed the suggestion that the White House could restrict travel to the state.

Key Facts

An anonymous Biden source told the Miami Herald Wednesday the administration was actively discussing “potential travel restrictions within the United States” as a way to curb emerging coronavirus variants, as the more transmissible variant first detected in the United Kingdom is expected to become the U.S.’s primary strain by March.

Though the official said no particular states were so far being targeted by the potential restrictions and no final decisions had yet been made, the variants are especially prevalent in Florida and California, and the official said “all options are on the table.”

Republicans heavily opposed the travel restrictions: in a letter to President Joe Biden quoted by the Herald, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said the move would be “an outrageous, authoritarian move that has no basis in law or science.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed the possibility of restrictions at a press conference Thursday, saying it “would purely be a political attack against the people of Florida” and “it’s unclear why they would even try talking about that.”

A White House spokesperson denied the report to Reuters Thursday, saying that while the administration is “continuing to discuss” potential travel recommendations, “To be clear, there have been no decisions made around additional public health measures for domestic travel safety.”

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing Thursday that while the administration is “always considering what steps are necessary” for public health, “no decisions have been made” regarding any measures that could affect domestic travel considerations.

Big Number

343. That’s how many cases of the B.1.1.7. variant first detected in the U.K. have been reported so far in Florida, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Florida has a far higher number of variant cases than any other state, with California in second place with 156 cases.

Tangent

Florida has kept its economy largely open throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and DeSantis has been strongly opposed to imposing strict public health measures, lifting statewide restrictions on restaurants and other businesses in September even as the state recorded thousands of new daily cases.

Key Background

The Biden administration has heavily focused on travel measures that could help slow Covid-19 transmission, imposing restrictions like a face mask mandate on public transportation and in airports, a Covid-19 testing requirement for those arriving from abroad and other restrictions on international travel. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said the government is also weighing requiring negative Covid-19 tests for domestic travel, which travel industry officials have opposed. “It’s really not scalable, feasible or effective,” Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy at the U.S. Travel Association, told the Herald about the potential testing requirement. Airline leaders will meet Friday with White House officials to discuss travel-related measures related to Covid-19, Reuters reports.

What To Watch For

The White House’s reported consideration of travel measures to slow the spread comes as the B.1.1.7. variant remains poised to rapidly spread across the country. A recent study found the number of new cases linked to the variant is doubling approximately every 10 days in the U.S., and that rate is even higher in Florida, where they’re doubling every 9.1 days. Professor Sharon Peacock, who leads the U.K.’s genetic surveillance program, said Thursday that after its rapid spread in the U.K., she predicts the variant—which researchers believe is approximately 30% to 40% more transmissible—is “going to sweep the world.”

Further Reading

White House says no specific decisions on domestic air travel under review (Reuters)

White House looks at domestic travel restrictions as COVID mutation surges in Florida (Miami Herald)

DeSantis says any travel restrictions imposed on Florida would be ‘a political attack’ (Orlando Sentinel)

Top Scientist Says Contagious U.K. Covid-19 Variant Likely To ‘Sweep The World’ (Forbes)

Here’s What You Need To Know About England’s New Covid-19 Variant (Forbes)

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