U.S. to maintain restrictions on travel

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden didn’t mince words Monday when asked whether his administration will be able to convince more holdout Americans to change their minds about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We have to,” Biden declared matter-of-factly after a bill signing event at the White House.

The bigger question — how to go about it — lacks a clear answer. The threat is unmistakable: the more transmissible Delta variant of the virus is running rampant among the unvaccinated population, prompting alarming increases in new cases and hospitalizations.

The seven-day average of daily new cases was 47 per cent higher last week than the previous week, and Delta is responsible for 83 per cent of them, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Only about 57 per cent of the eligible U.S. population is fully vaccinated, with 66 per cent having received one dose. The reluctant are likely to prove stubborn, a recent poll said.

Press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed travel restrictions would remain in place against foreigners in a host of countries, including the U.K., Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil, as well as the 26 Schengen nations in Europe.

That decision comes after the U.S. pointedly chose not to follow Canada’s lead and begin easing limits on who is allowed to drive across the country’s northern border.