COVID-19: U.S. to exempt foreign athletes from entry bans
CGTN
Planes sit idle at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Missouri, April 3, 2020. /VCG

Planes sit idle at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Missouri, April 3, 2020. /VCG

The United States will exempt some foreign athletes who compete in professional sporting events in the U.S. from entry bans imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said on Friday. 

"In today's environment, Americans need their sports. It's time to reopen the economy and it's time we get our professional athletes back to work," Wolf said in a statement issued by the department announcing he had signed an order for the exemption. 

Besides the athletes, the exemption applies to the sporting leagues' essential staff, spouses and dependents, the statement said. 

Aerial drone view of the Ambassador Bridge that connects Detroit in Michigan, U.S. and Windsor, Canada, March 18, 2020. /VCG

Aerial drone view of the Ambassador Bridge that connects Detroit in Michigan, U.S. and Windsor, Canada, March 18, 2020. /VCG

The sports covered by the exemption include Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the Women's National Basketball Association, the Professional Golfers' Association Tour, the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour, the National Hockey League, the Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women's Tennis Association. 

Major U.S. professional sports were shut down as part of the effort to tackle COVID-19, and the U.S. has also imposed bans on entry of travelers from a number of countries across the world. 

The U.S. is pushing to reopen the economy after drastic measures to combat the pandemic. 

Source(s): Reuters