Travel industry urges Biden to reopen U.S. to international travelers
22 March 2021
Airlines and other travel-related industries are urging the Biden administration to develop a plan by May 1 to reopen the country to international visitors.
Why it matters: Travel and tourism were hit hard by the pandemic, with 5.6 million travel-supported jobs lost in 2020, and a $1 trillion hit to the U.S. economy, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Without a rebound in international travel, a broader economy recovery could stall.
What's happening: A coalition of travel and aviation groups released a letter Monday urging the White House “to partner with us to develop… a risk-based, data-driven roadmap to rescind inbound international travel restrictions.”
- Citing favorable trends in infections and hospitalizations, along with rising vaccination rates, travel officials say it's time to plan a safe reopening.
- If inbound travel resumes by July 4, and averages 40% of 2019 levels for the remainder of this year, it would accelerate the U.S. economic recovery by adding $30 billion in incremental spending and bringing back 225,000 American jobs, the groups say.
They want to maintain other core public health protections, like mask requirements and physical distancing, as well as COVID testing required for arriving passengers.
- “However, the data and science demonstrate that the right public health measures are now in place to effectively mitigate risk and allow for the safe removal of entry restrictions.”
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.