Coronavirus: Donald Trump imposes travel ban on Brazil

The White House is restricting travel from Brazil, two days after it became the world’s No 2 hotspot for coronavirus cases.

An unmasked Jair Bolsonaro greets supporters in Brasilia on Sunday. Picture: AFP

The White House says it is restricting travel from Brazil to the US, two days after the South American nation became the world’s No 2 hotspot for novel coronavirus cases.

The travel ban is a blow to ­Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has followed the example of US President Donald Trump in addressing the pandemic, fighting calls for social distancing and touting unproven drugs.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the new restrictions would help ensure foreign nationals did not bring extra infections to the US but would not apply to the flow of commerce between the countries.

Brazil downplayed Mr Trump’s move as standard procedure.

“The decision … is identical to measures taken previously that suspended travel from other countries affected by COVID-19, including China, Iran, the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as the EU’s Schengen zone,” the foreign ministry said.

It called the ban a technical decision in the context of “important bilateral collaboration” to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting US donations of $US6.5m and a new White House promise of 1000 respirators.

Brazil had itself already barred foreigners from entering the country because of the pandemic.

The new restrictions come into force on Thursday, prohibiting most non-US citizens from travelling to America if they have been in Brazil in the past two weeks. Green card holders, close relatives of US citizens and flight crew members, among select others, would be exempt.

An adviser to Mr Bolsonaro played down Mr Trump’s move, highlighting shared views on fighting the virus with unproven antimalarial drugs such as ­hydroxychloroquine. “There is nothing specific against Brazil,” international affairs adviser Filipe Martins tweeted.

 

The US Food and Drug Administration warned last month about using the drug to treat COVID-19, citing “reports of serious heart rhythm problems”.

Mr Bolson­aro’s insistence on the drug’s potential and defiance of state isolation orders pushed out two health ministers, both doctors, before the acting head, an army general, issued guidelines to expand use of the drug.

Brazil’s confirmed cases rose by 15,813 on Sunday to 363,211, second in the world behind the US, with more than 1.6 million cases. Brazil’s death toll rose by 653 to 22,666, well behind nearly 100,000 US deaths.

Reuters, AFP