NL – Dutch, and other European travelers, may be allowed to enter the United States before next year after all. The United States embassy in the Netherlands confirmed that the coronavirus related entry ban on European travelers has not been extended, unlike previously reported.
Earlier on Monday, news outlet BNR reported that the embassy said the American entry ban on travelers from the European Union will be extended until the end of 2020. According to the broadcaster, the US embassy was now saying that a representative’s remarks were inaccurate and called it a misunderstanding. “We apologize for not being precise enough in our response,” BNR quoted an embassy spokesperson.
The broadcaster asked the embassy whether the extension of measures announced by the US also applied to the travel ban on Europeans. The embassy initially responded: “This is an extension of the original order that banned Europeans (and all other tourists/travelers to the US),” BNR said. Now a spokesperson told the broadcaster: “That’s my fault for being not clear. The Presidential Proclamation is an extension of something that was already in place for immigrant visas, but it is different than the Covid-related travel ban.”
However, a spokesperson from the embassy told NL Times that the error “was misreporting,” saying that the broadcaster, “Confused two different things. There are two different sets of travel advice. One is related to COVID and covers Schengen, the second one covers labour issues with specific visa classes.” BNR has taken the original story off of its website.
The spokesperson also referred NL Times to statements given by the White House yesterday. President Trump, in Arizona at a press event along a portion of the new wall along the Mexican border was asked about the visa and green card issue. He said, “So we want to give jobs to Americans right now. Right now we want jobs going to Americans.”
The coronavirus travel ban remains unchanged, with no end date attached to it, the spokesperson said to BNR.
