Trump's travel ban likely accelerated COVID-19 spread in US: Gates

New York: Microsoft founder Bill Gates said the travel ban implemented by President Trump earlier this year may have accelerated the spread of the coronavirus in the US.

Speaking to Fox News in an interview that will be aired on Sunday, Gates said that the ban made thousands of people rush back into the country, but a lack of safety measures upon their return caused the virus to continue spreading.

"We created this rush, and we didn't have the ability to test or quarantine those people," Gates told "Fox News Sunday" anchor Chris Wallace.

"And so that seeded the disease here. You know, the ban probably accelerated that, the way it was executed."

"March saw this incredible explosion — the West Coast coming from China and then the East Coast coming out of Europe, and so, even though we'd seen China and we'd seen Europe, that testing capacity and clear message of how to behave wasn't there," Gates added, according to Fox News.

This is not the first time Gates has been critical of the government's handling of the pandemic.

In April, the billionaire philanthropist slammed Trump's decision to cut US funding for the World Health Organization.

Speaking to Insider's Hilary Brueck, Gates also said that the coronavirus testing system is "worthless" and that it would be the first thing he'd fix if he were in charge. In an interview with CBS News in July, Gates said that "serious mistakes were made" in how the virus was handled, adding that reopenings and mask compliance were two of the main issues.

"We actually had criteria for opening up that said you had to have cases declining and we opened up with cases increasing," Gates said, according to CBS News.

"We somehow got masks as this politicized thing ... and some like, harbinger of freedom, that just covering your mouth was awful."