WASHINGTON – In a letter sent to President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday, five Republican senators, led by Marco Rubio, urged an immediate ban on travel between the United States and China following a surge in cases of a respiratory illness in China.
The letter, signed by Rubio, who serves as the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, emphasized the need to restrict travel until more is known about the risks associated with the new illness.
The request comes in response to a global concern triggered by the World Health Organization (WHO) seeking additional information from China after reports of undiagnosed pneumonia clusters in children by the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases.
As of now, neither the White House nor the Chinese Embassy in Washington has provided immediate comments on the matter.
Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, suggested earlier in the week that the rise in cases might be linked to an increase in children contracting pathogens that had been avoided during the two years of COVID-19 restrictions.
Despite the ongoing global situation, recent months have witnessed a gradual increase in flights between the United States and China.
While the number of flights remains below 2019 levels, reaching 35 per week for each country as of November 9, there has been a steady uptick from the 12 per week reported in August.
It’s noteworthy that in January 2020, then-President Donald Trump implemented travel restrictions barring most non-U.S. citizens who had been in China in the previous two weeks from entering the United States due to concerns about COVID-19.
However, this measure did not include limitations on flights between the two countries.
The United States, aiming for a return to pre-pandemic travel norms, lifted travel restrictions for fully vaccinated international visitors in November 2021, including those from China.
Subsequently, in June 2022, the requirement for air travelers to test negative before arrival was also rescinded.
However, with the emergence of the new respiratory illness and concerns about its potential impact, the call for a renewed travel ban underscores the complexities and challenges associated with managing global health crises.
