Trump bars travel from Brazil, a new pandemic hot spot: White House

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday suspended travel from Brazil, which has emerged as a major new hot spot in the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. 

Non-Americans who have been in Brazil in the 14-day period prior to when they seek admittance to the U.S. cannot come to America, said White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. 

Trade is not affected by the new rule. "Today's action will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infections in our country," she said in a statement.

The new travel restriction will take effect starting Thursday midnight. 

Brazil, now the world's No. 2 coronavirus hot spot behind the U.S., registered 653 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, taking its death toll 22,666, while the total number of infections rose to 363,211, up 15,813 from Saturday, according to its health ministry.

Meanwhile, more than 1.64 million people in the U.S. have contracted the coronavirus and nearly 98,000 have died. 

And in a tweet on Sunday, Trump expressed optimism that the numbers would continue to go down. "Cases, numbers and deaths are going down all over the Country!"

In an interview during a Fox News virtual town hall earlier this month, Trump said as many as 100,000 people could die in the U.S.

Read more:

Trump 'firmly' believes virus vaccine will be ready by end of 2020, pushes for economic reopening