THE US has said that it would maintain restrictions on international travel into the country due to the surge of cases of the Covid-19 Delta variant at home and abroad.
There was pressure on the country to ease restrictions from the European Union, it was reported on Monday (26).
"We will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point," said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
"The more transmissible Delta variant is spreading both here and around the world."
In its latest advisories, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended avoiding travel to Spain and Portugal, two popular destinations for American tourists, due to growing cases of Covid-19.
The US issued the same guidance for Cyprus, a week after also recommending against travel to Britain, the top international destination for US travelers after Mexico and Canada in 2019.
Covid cases have also been rising again in the US, overwhelmingly due to the Delta variant among people who have not been vaccinated despite the wide availability of doses.
Psaki said the White House projected that Covid cases would keep rising "in the weeks ahead."
Asked how travel restrictions would help, Psaki said, "Yes, it is the dominant variant in the US. That doesn't mean that having more people who have the Delta variant is the right step."
The US has restricted travel from the European Union, Britain, China and Iran for more than a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, later adding other countries including Brazil and India.
The European Union in June opened up to travelers from the US, typically requiring proof of vaccination or negative tests, under pressure from tourism-dependent nations such as Greece, Spain and Italy that feared another bare season.
EU leaders have asked the US to show reciprocity, and President Joe Biden on July 15 said he would have an answer on the issue "within the next several days" after appeals by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The US makes widespread exceptions including for students, scholars, journalists and businesspeople, but European leaders have complained that the regulations inconvenience ordinary people and hinder transatlantic trade.
Top US government scientist Anthony Fauci warned Sunday (25) that the US is "going in the wrong direction" and repeated appeals for hesitant people to get vaccinated.
A 1996 photo of rapper Tupac Shakur (L) and Marion "Suge" Knight is shown on screens during closing arguments in the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 31, 2026. Getty Images
A rescuer assists a resident through heavy mud following flash floods on August 27, 2026 in Trishuli, Nepal. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing, as the death toll started to climb.Getty Images
Rescue personnel provide medical treatment to a child at an army rescue camp in Trishuli Batar, Nepal, on August 27, 2026. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure, as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing as the death toll began to climb. Getty Ima
Family members of missing flood victims react at the emergency ward of the Maharajgunj Medical Campus, part of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, on August 28, 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Authorities said the flash floods were triggered after a mass of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river near the Nepal-China border, leaving hundreds dead or missing and causing widespread damage in affected districts. Authorities continued the gruelling search for victims, many buried under metres of mud, as both China and Nepal issued fresh flooding alerts.Getty Images