The White House announced that beginning at 11:59 pm ET on Thursday, President Trump would suspend entry of non-U.S. citizens who have been in Brazil in the past 14 days in an effort to stop the imported spread of the coronavirus.Why it matters: Brazil has reported nearly 350,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus — the second-most in the world behind the U.S. — and has emerged as a Southern Hemisphere hotspot as other heavily affected countries in Asia and Europe have managed to get their outbreaks under control.However, there continues to be significant community spread of the virus within the U.S., which will not be curbed by further outside travel restrictions.The big picture: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has come under fire for dismissing the virus as a "little flu" and aggressively pushing to reopen the economy, which is heading for its worst recession ever.On Sunday, a mask-less Bolsonaro attended a rally in Brasilia, shaking hands, embracing supporters and ignoring social distancing measures as coronavirus cases continued to surge.What they're saying:Today, the President has taken decisive action to protect our country by suspending the entry of aliens who have been in Brazil during the 14-day period before seeking admittance to the United States. As of May 23, 2020, Brazil had 310,087 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which is the third highest number of confirmed cases in the world. Today’s action will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infections in our country. These new restrictions do not apply to the flow of commerce between the United States and Brazil.White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany