EIG COVID-19 Update | July 24, 2020

With our mission to uncomplicate the complicated, we’ve always thought of our work in immigration as people-first. Our goal is for these emails to make sense of the changes happening across the world. Please share these updates with your colleagues who may find this information helpful, too.

International Updates

Chile | Health minister Enrique Paris announced that the lockdown in the capital city of Santiago would begin to lift from Tuesday, July 28.
Case Update: 2,357 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/24 6:00 PM CEST

France | Following spikes in coronavirus infection rates in the Spanish region of Catalonia, the French government is advising its citizens not to travel there.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said the government would reinforce controls at the borders and that some travelers would be subject to mandatory testing.
Case Update: 835 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/24 6:00 PM CEST

Germany | Following a meeting of Germany’s state health ministers, Berlin’s health minister Dilek Kalyci said that there was an agreement to require testing or a two-week quarantine for people entering Germany from high-risk countries.
Case Update: 815 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/24 6:00 PM CEST

Italy | Individuals arriving in Italy who have been in Romania or Bulgaria in the last 14 days will be required to quarantine.
Case Update: 306 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/24 6:00 PM CEST

Norway | The government is reimposing a 10-day quarantine requirement for travelers from Spain beginning on Saturday, July 25.
Case Update: 9 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/24 6:00 PM CEST

The Philippines | The government has reimposed the ban on non-essential travel after reopening two weeks ago.
Case Update: 2,121 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/24 6:00 PM CEST

South Africa | President Cyril Ramaphosa has closed all public schools in the country for four weeks (July 27 – August 24). South African has the fifth-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world.
Case Update: 13,104 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/24 6:00 PM CEST

The United States | According to the office of Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, the scheduled furlough for 13,000 USCIS staff has been delayed two pay periods until August 31.
Case Update: 69,641 confirmed cases. Last updated: 2020/7/24 6:00 PM CEST

In last week’s Immigration Nerds podcast, we talked about the impact of ICE modifying the SEVP temporary exemptions to restrict international students from online courses amid COVID-19 and then the agency’s reversal. However, we didn’t get a chance to discuss the vital role international students play in the university system, and how they drive innovation. We’re proud to welcome Dr. Deborah Watkins Bruner, Senior Vice President of Research at Emory University, for a faculty perspective. Please note, we recorded this episode before the settlement agreement. However, we capture great insight into international students’ ongoing contributions to discoveries in cancer research and COVID-19 vaccines.

We will continue to send updates daily or as more COVID-19-related news is available. If you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or in past updates or want to hear more about a different topic, just reply to let us know. If you have specific questions, please contact your employer or EIG attorney.