US ends HIV, AIDS travel ban
HUMAN rights groups have praised the official lifting of a decades-old ban that prevented people with HIV/AIDS from travelling to the United States.
President Barack Obama announced in October last year his administration would end the ban, and the legislation lifting the travel restrictions came into effect overnight.
"We're very excited to finally see the end of this discriminatory and harmful policy," said Victoria Neilson, legal director at the advocacy group Immigration Equality.
"Getting rid of the HIV ban has been part of our core mission since we were founded in 1994," she said.
The ban on HIV-positive foreigners entering the United States had been in place since 1987.
While people living with the virus could receive 30-day waivers to visit the United States, the ban made it nearly impossible for HIV-positive individuals to study or work at US institutions.
The Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, also hailed the end of the ban.
