The United States has banned all flights from mainland Europe for 30 days, in arguably one of the most significant restrictions on people movement since World War II.
Speaking from the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said the new coronavirus travel ban would come into effect from midnight on Friday, but wouldn’t include the UK. He also took a swipe at the European Union for not imposing the same early restrictions as the US.
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The news came shortly after 23 American states declared a state of emergency including, Washington DC, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas.
An hour after the announcement, President Trump appeared to correct himself, by stating that the ban wouldn’t apply to US legal permanent residents, citizens and some of their family members, and also not on cargo.
It was also then announced the ban would only apply to countries in the so-called Schengen Area that have abolished passport and border controls. Those countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
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The latest figures show the disease has now infected 115,800 people, including 1,000 in the US, and killed more than 4,200 worldwide. Minutes before the address, actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson confirmed on Instagram that they had coronavirus, becoming the most high-profile victims of the illness.
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Addressing the American public on television, President Trump said, “We will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect Friday at midnight. These restrictions will be adjusted subject to conditions on the ground.
He said the nation’s “speed and professionalism” meant it was winning the war to combat the virus.
President Trump added, “I’m confident that by counting and continuing to take these tough measures we will significantly reduce the threat to our citizens and we’ll ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus.
“From the beginning of time, nations and people have faced unforeseen challenges including large scale and very dangerous health threats. This is the way it always was and always will be. It only matters how you respond and we are responding with great speed and professionalism.”
He also attacked the European Union, which decided against imposing the same kind of travel bans as the US.
President Trump said, “Taking early intense action, we have seen dramatically fewer cases of the virus in the United States than are now present in Europe. The European Union failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hotspots.
“As a result, a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travellers from Europe.”
