COVID-19 effect: US likely to ban travel from hard-hit Brazil

Washington: The US government is expected to announce a ban on travel from Brazil due to the spread of coronavirus in Latin America’s hardest-hit country.

National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien says the US wants to take every step necessary to protect the American people. President Donald Trump already has banned travel from the United Kingdom, Europe, and China, all of which have been hit hard by the virus. On Wednesday, Trump said he was considering barring entry to flights from Brazil.

O’Brien said Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation that he expects any ban would be temporary. Brazil reported more than 347,000 COVID-19 cases as of Friday, second behind the US in the number of infections, according to a Johns Hopkins University count.

Brazil also has recorded more than 22,000 deaths, fifth-most in the world. There have been more than 96,000 US deaths.