President Joe Biden came into office promising a specific plan to stop COVID and saying he’d get the economy going again.
Now it turns out that this means reopening California and some liberal states to boost their economy, giving people the vaccine like the Trump Administration already was doing and reimposing travel bans that Trump wanted to lift.
These travel bans for countries where COVID is more widespread clearly worked since the virus is at some of its highest levels ever. Sarcasm.
Either way, at least we can all rest assured that travel bans are very wonderful and fair and necessary when done by a Democrat, unlike the evil, unfair and unnecessary travel bans done by President Trump from terrorist-prone countries (bans which Biden has already undone and inaccurately called a “Muslim ban.”)
.@jrpsaki: Trump's travel ban was racist and xenophobic, but Joe Biden's is not because it's "comprehensive." pic.twitter.com/ee4kZKGgjF
— The First (@TheFirstonTV) January 25, 2021
Who Will Biden Ban?
The new bans will apply to the majority of non-Americans who try to enter the United States if they have been in South Africa, Brazil, the UK, Ireland and 26 European countries that have open borders inside the European Union (EU).
The plans haven’t yet been publicly announced but have been leaked from within the administration. Trump ordered for travel bans on Brazil and Europe to be lifted on Jan. 18 but Biden will strike that down in order to look like he’s actually doing something to stop the virus and the new strains that are coming out of South Africa and Brazil.
The move may also be related to the fact that the COVID vaccine might not work to stop the South African strain of COVID, which would throw Biden’s plan – to keep vaccinating just like Trump was – into even further disarray.
Around 20 US states report having found the UK mutation of COVID (B.1.1.7) but so far say that the vaccine is successful at preventing it.
Mask Mandate and More Rules Coming ASAP
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will also be putting in a new mask mandate for all transport. So you have to wear a mask on any airplanes, boats, subways, buses, taxis, carpool vehicles or other transit method.
Anyone coming into the US over 2-years-old will also have to show a negative COVID test that’s under three days old to enter. No exceptions will be made including for people whose countries don’t have enough testing ability to give them a proper test before their flight to the US.
The travel restrictions on people coming from the EU has been law since mid-March, and the ban on entering from Brazil has been law since mid-May. The majority of people who’ve been in the EU, Brazil or South Africa in the past two weeks will therefore continue to not be allowed to enter the US, although US citizens and permanent residents – as well as some family members – may be allowed under the new restrictions.
At this point it’s clear that the Biden Administration is flailing. They are pursuing a strategy of doing whatever the opposite is of what Trump did and hoping it works or at least gets them more media praise from their Democratic partners in the mainstream press.
Ramping up vaccinations to 1.5 million per day is something and mask mandates on public transit can’t hurt and it’s at least something, but it’s far from the kind of action plan Biden vaguely promised during his campaign. If he’d admitted he didn’t really have a plan to stop the virus he wouldn’t have won the election.
Keeping these travel bans in place is also a desperate move. If this strategy was successful then why hasn’t it worked so far despite being in place almost a year?
