Biden administration to restrict travel from India starting Tuesday

The Biden administration will restrict travel from India starting on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.

“On the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Administration will restrict travel from India starting immediately,” she said in a statement. “The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in the India. The policy will take effect on Tuesday, May 4.”

The administration will issue a 212(f) order restricting entry into the US for foreign nationals who have been in India within the previous 14 days, a source familiar with the move said. Airlines have been told of the decision, a source said.

The new policy will take effect at 12:01 am ET Tuesday.

The policy won’t apply to American citizens, lawful permanent residents or other people with exemptions. As with all international travelers, individuals who fit that criteria traveling from India must still test negative prior to leaving the country, quarantine if they have not been vaccinated and test negative again upon reentering the US from India.

The restrictions also do not apply to humanitarian workers.

The White House informed congressional offices on Friday of the move.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.