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Joe Biden slammed for ban on Indian travelers, Internet reminds him he called Trump’s China ban ‘xenophobic’

The proclamation signed by Biden on Friday, April 30, stated that India 'accounts for over one-third of new global cases.' The step was taken after advice from the CDC and will take effect on Tuesday, May 4

When former President Donald Trump had posed a ban on travelers from China, Joe Biden was one among the many who had criticized him for doing so. The reason Trump had cited at the time was that China's city Wuhan was alleged to be the epicenter of the pandemic. Now, reports suggest that President Joe Biden might also pose a travel ban on people, but he is targeting travelers from India. 

The news of the ban came out on Friday, April 30, and it said that the president imposed new travel restrictions on India because of the COVID-19 epidemic, barring most non-US citizens from entering the United States. The step was taken after advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and will take effect on Tuesday, May 4, at 12:01 am ET (0401 GMT). The reason behind the suggestion as quoted by Reuters is that "the magnitude and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic" in the country was "surging."

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The proclamation signed by Biden on Friday stated that India "accounts for over one-third of new global cases" and added that "proactive measures are required to protect the nation's public health from travelers entering the United States." However, this is not the first time Biden has banned travelers, he also signed a similar proclamation to ban most non-US citizens entering the country who had recently been in South Africa in January.

He also reimposed an entry ban on nearly all non-US travelers who have been in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and 26 countries in Europe that allow travel across open borders. China and Iran are also both covered by the policy. The following members --  permanent residents of the US, family members, other non-US citizens such as students, are exempted. This proclamation by the president has come under the scanner. 

Many pointed out that Biden had criticized former President Donald Trump for imposing a ban on travelers for the same reason when the Trump administration announced on January 31, 2020, actions to restrict travel coming in from China during the early days of the pandemic. At this time, Biden had written on Twitter, "We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus. We need to lead the way with science — not Donald Trump’s record of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering. He is the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health emergency."

Trump had said, "I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously, and have done a very good job from the beginning, including my very early decision to close the ‘borders’ from China – against the wishes of almost all,” on March 18 and added, “Many lives were saved. The Fake News new narrative is disgraceful & false!” Biden had replied to this with, "Stop the xenophobic fear-mongering. Be honest. Take responsibility. Do your job.”

On March 13, 2020, he had said about the ban on travelers from Europe, "A wall will not stop the coronavirus. Banning all travel from Europe – or any other part of the world – will not stop it. This disease could impact every nation and any person on the planet – and we need a plan to combat.”

All of this resurfaced and in reaction to this, people on Twitter called out the president. One user said, "Joe Biden called Trump 'xenophobic' when he restricted travel from China early on in the pandemic. Now, Joe Biden has announced he’s restricting travel from India due to a surge in COVID-19 cases there. Can’t wait to see how Jen Psaki spins this one."

Another user wrote, "2006 @JoeBiden: 'you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. 2021 Joe Biden:" and posted a picture of the news of the ban. One added, "Seems awfully xenophobic and racist (to use the left’s parlance)."

One user added, "Seriously though, China sent us this virus. China is an arch enemy of India. Biden family is very close to China, as are its corporate cronies. Instead of sending HELP to our ally India, he sets up this ban with no self-awareness of how Democrats characterized travel bans before."