Trump announces travel from Europe to be restricted amid coronavirus threat

Yahoo News

Amid growing public anxiety over the novel coronavirus, President Donald Trump announced an extraordinary ban on some travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days and called for a series of stimulus measures to blunt the economic side effects of the virus.

“To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days,” Trump declared during a prime-time address to the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday night.

The new travel restrictions will take effect Friday at midnight, but Trump’s order does not ban all travel from Europe.

The Trump administration is restricting travel to the U.S. by certain foreign nationals who have traveled to any of the 26 European countries identified (a list that includes Italy, Spain, France and Germany but omits others like the U.K., Ireland, Croatia and Ukraine) in the past 14 days before coming to the U.S.

Restrictions exempt U.S. citizens, permanent residents (green card holders) and foreign nationals who are immediate family members such as the spouses and children of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have undergone appropriate screenings.

“We are marshaling the full power of the federal government and the private sector to protect the American people,” Trump said, emphasizing that the pandemic started off of U.S. shores, and specifically pinpointing China.

Globally, there are more than 126,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 4,630 deaths reported. In the U.S., there are at least 1,300 confirmed cases with 38 coronavirus-related deaths.

Even as the president sought to reassure a jittery public that “this is not the financial crisis” and is “just a temporary moment of time that we will overcome together as a nation and as a world,” he called for a series of dramatic stimulus actions to prop up the American economy from the side effects of the virus.

“To ensure that working Americans impacted by the virus can stay home without fear of financial hardship I will soon be taking emergency action, which is unprecedented, to provide financial relief,” the president said.

He specifically ordered the Treasury Department to defer tax payments without interest or penalties for certain impacted individuals and businesses and called on Congress to provide “immediate” payroll tax relief, in addition to other measures.

During his speech, Trump misspoke when he said prohibitions would impact a “tremendous amount” of trade and cargo. He later clarified in a tweet that trade won’t be affected by the Europe travel ban. “The restriction stops people not goods,” he tweeted.

The president broadly sought to credit his administration’s actions thus far, making the case that the situation could have been worse — even as the administration has come under fire for a slow rollout of testing.

“This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history. I am confident that by counting and continuing to take these tough measures, we’ll significantly reduce the threat to our citizens and we’ll ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus,” Trump said.

The president also reiterated the CDC’s guidelines to Americans to protect themselves and others from the spread of the virus.

“Wash your hands, clean often-used surfaces, cover your face and mouth if you sneeze or cough. Most of all, if you’re sick or not feeling well, stay home,” Trump said.

He also emphasized making the effort to specifically protect older Americans by avoiding non-essential travel in crowded areas and avoiding all medically unnecessary trips to nursing homes.

The president — who has himself been guilty of politicizing the issue with his frequent mentions of “do-nothing Democrats” — closed his address with a message of unity, urging the nation to come together to overcome the threat.

“We must put politics aside, stop the partisanship, and unify together as one nation and one family. As history has proven time and time again, Americans always rise to the challenge and overcome adversity. Our future remains brighter than anyone can imagine. Acting with compassion and love, we will heal the sick, care for those in need, help our fellow citizens and emerge from this challenge stronger and more unified than ever before,” Trump said.

Following his address, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham announced the president’s events in Nevada and Colorado would be canceled “out of an abundance of caution.” Trump had been set to travel to Nevada on Thursday.

A campaign event set to feature the president, scheduled for March 19 in Milwaukee, was also postponed, Tim Murtagh, the Trump campaign’s communications director, announced on Twitter. The event had been announced about 24 hours earlier.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/president-trump-deliver-prime-time-statement-coronavirus-001259240.html

2 thoughts on “Trump announces travel from Europe to be restricted amid coronavirus threat

  1. Don’t Panic, Just Protect Yourself From The Coronavirus
    March 12 (King World News) – The email below was sent to King World News from a Chairman of a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and we wanted to share it with our global readers:

    This was sent to me from a colleague in Israel:

    From member of the Stanford hospital board. This is their feedback for now on Corona virus:

    The new Coronavirus may not show sign of infection for many days. How can one know if he/she is infected? By the time they have fever and/or cough and go to the hospital, the lung is usually 50% Fibrosis and it’s too late.

    Taiwan experts provide a simple self-check that we can do every morning. Take a deep breath and hold your breath for more than 10 seconds. If you complete it successfully without coughing, without discomfort, stiffness or tightness, etc., it proves there is no Fibrosis in the lungs, basically indicates no infection. In critical time, please self-check every morning in an environment with clean air.

    Serious excellent advice by Japanese doctors treating COVID-19 cases: Everyone should ensure your mouth & throat are moist, never dry. Take a few sips of water every 15 minutes at least. Why? Even if the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash them down through your throat and into the stomach. Once there, your stomach acid will kill all the virus. If you don’t drink enough water more regularly, the virus can enter your windpipe and into the lungs. That’s very dangerous.

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – CORONAVIRUS

    1. If you have a runny nose and sputum (phlegm), you have a common cold

    2. Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose.

    3. This new virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed by a temperature of just 26/27 degrees. It hates the Sun.

    4. If someone sneezes with it, it takes about 10 feet before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne.

    5. If it drops on a metal surface it will live for at least 12 hours – so if you come into contact with any metal surface – wash your hands as soon as you can with a bacterial soap.

    6. On fabric it can survive for 6-12 hours. normal laundry detergent will kill it.

    7. Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses. Try not to drink liquids with ice.

    8. Wash your hands frequently as the virus can only live on your hands for 5-10 minutes, but – a lot can happen during that time – you can rub your eyes, pick your nose unwittingly and so on.

    9. You should also gargle as a prevention. A simple solution of salt in warm water will suffice.

    10. Can’t emphasis enough – drink plenty of water!

    THE SYMPTOMS

    1. It will first infect the throat, so you’ll have a sore throat lasting 3/4 days

    2. The virus then blends into a nasal fluid that enters the trachea and then the lungs, causing pneumonia. This takes about 5/6 days further.

    3. With the pneumonia comes high fever and difficulty in breathing.

    4. The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind. You feel like you’re drowning. It’s imperative you then seek immediate attention.

    Please share this link with friends and family.

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