Exemption follows reversal on status of international students
European students travelling to the United States to study are exempt from a Covid-19 travel ban introduced in mid-March, according to media reports.
The exemption was reported by Reuters on 17 July. The news agency said a memo sent from the Department of State to politicians includes an exemption for EU students, as well as some au pairs and family members.
EU citizens have been banned from travelling to the US since 16 March, due to fears of introducing more cases of Covid-19 to the US. Over the past two weeks the US has had a far higher infection rate than the EU.
The exemption follows a U-turn from the White House over a recent visa suspension for any international students in the US who could only study online due to social-distancing rules.
Many states, colleges and universities took legal action that forced the Trump administration’s reversal. Lawrence Bacow, the president of Harvard University, said the “cruelty” of the suspension was “surpassed only by its recklessness”.