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US President Donald Trump has announced that all travel from Europe to the United States will be temporarily halted for a period of 30 days, in the most significant measure yet taken to stem the spread of the lethal coronavirus.
In an address to the nation on Wednesday night, the president said the 30-day travel ban will take effect on Friday at midnight, noting that the United Kingdom would be exempt from the new restrictions."After consulting with our top government health professionals, I have decided to take several strong but necessary actions to protect the health and wellbeing of all Americans," Trump said in the address.
"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."
The restrictions will be "adjusted subject to conditions on the ground," the president went on, adding that exemptions would be extended for Americans who had undergone proper health screenings. The measures to be put into place will be far-reaching in nature, Trump said.
"These prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing."
The travel ban will also bar entry to all foreign nationals who have traveled to the European Union in the last 14 days, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement.
The measures will not apply to permanent legal US residents or their immediate family members, however.The department's acting secretary Chad Wolf also announced plans to issue a notice requiring all US citizens traveling in the European Union to return home through particular airports with heightened health screenings.A number of European officials said they were not informed about the travel ban, with one diplomat telling Reuters under condition of anonymity that "there was no heads up, no coordination as the president claimed."
Belgian Ambassador to the US Dirk Wouters, however, told CNN that he was aware "something was coming on travel from Europe," but added:
"What is not understandable is the exception for the UK and the lack of national measures [domestically]." Only after the televised announcement did the Trump administration notify other European ambassadors through the State Department, but according to one diplomat who spoke to CNN, they "have not yet [provided] answers to our questions."
Trump also noted that the US would be "re-evaluating" travel restrictions his administration previously imposed on China and South Korea - the country with the second-largest number of Covid-19 cases worldwide - as the situation improves there, adding that the new conditions may pave the way "for a possible early opening" of the borders.
The number of coronavirus cases in the US has crept past 1,200, with at least 37 people succumbing to the deadly disease that has claimed more than 4,291 lives worldwide, most of them in China's Hubei Province, where Covid-19 originated. As of Wednesday, the virus has spread to as many as 42 US states, with Washington (366 cases), New York (216 cases), and California (133) being the hardest-hit. However, it is expected that the number of cases will continue to snowball as the screening process is plagued by a major shortage of testing kits. At least one million kits have been allocated across the nation, and another four million are expected to be rolled out by the end of the week.
The outbreak, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier on Wednesday, has wrought havoc on US and Asian stock markets, and led to the cancellation or suspension of major public events, ranging from popular music festival Coachella to 'March Madness' college basketball games that will be restricted to "essential personnel and limited family attendance."
Comment: Video of the address here:
Trump, however, claims that this travel restriction
will not affect trade (although his announcement did!):
Trump has baffled traders and ordinary netizens after he took to Twitter in the wake of his national address earlier on Wednesday to assure the public that his order to suspend all travel from Europe pertains only to the movement of people, but not goods.
"Very important for all countries & businesses to know that trade will in no way be affected by the 30-day restriction on travel from Europe. The restriction stops people not goods."
The tweet raised more questions than answers, as Trump rather explicitly stated during his much-hyped address on the coronavirus that the temporary suspension of travel from Europe would have far-reaching consequences for trade as well.
"These prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but to various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing," Trump stated during the address which was broadcast live.
The White House soon clarified that the ban "only applies to human beings, not goods and cargo."
Some blamed the turnaround on Trump's difficulties with reading from a teleprompter during prepared remarks. The US president is known for his propensity to go off-script during official speeches and addresses.
The gaffe sparked panic on stock markets, which tanked on the news of the sweeping travel ban.
In addition to the trade 'exemption',
$200bn in tax relief and low-interest loans will go into effect as a financial stimulus:
The Trump administration will take "unprecedented" action to give financial relief to Americans affected by the coronavirus, ordering tax exemptions for those infected or under quarantine, as well as low-interest loans for firms.
The measures include instructing the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide capital and liquidity to any firms impacted by the outbreak, as well as tax relief he said would inject some $200 billion of liquidity into the US economy.
"Effectively immediately, the SBA will begin providing economic loans in affected states and territories," Trump said in a national address on Wednesday night, while also asking Congress to increase funding for the program by $50 billion. "These low-interest loans will help small businesses overcome temporary economic disruptions caused by the virus."
The president also called on Congress to approve "immediate payroll tax relief," and said arrangements would soon be made to allocate aid for sickened workers who are forced to take time off work, as well as those caring for infected individuals.
The measures come in addition to an $8.3 billion emergency aid package signed into law last Friday, which provides funding for research into treatments and vaccines, and offers federal funds for states to help with prevention and containment efforts.
After meetings earlier this week, major health insurance companies agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments and extend coverage, the president said, adding that the administration is now "cutting through massive amounts of red tape" to fast-track antiviral therapies.
Trump justifies his implementation of a travel ban without consulting the EU because of his need to "move fast", adding he exempted the UK because it was doing a "good job combating the virus":
The UK has counted 590 cases of the virus so far, with 10 deaths - hardly numbers to boast about, but less dire than the situation in Italy or Germany.
Trump reprised his boast about taking the "boldest step of all" by closing borders with China before noting Europe "has some hot spots that are really bad." He mentioned Germany, France, and Italy before concluding on an optimistic note: "we think we'll reestablish pretty quickly once this ends."
Responding to a reporter's question on why he hadn't consulted individual European countries about the travel ban, Trump said, "when they raise taxes on us, they don't consult us, and I think that's probably one and the same."
After the sudden announcement roiled markets on Thursday, Trump clarified that he might shorten or lengthen the 30-day timeframe of the ban, set to take effect on Friday.
He expressed hope that travel between the US and Europe, as well as the US and China, could be restored "very quickly." The president also opined on the Tokyo Olympics, suggesting they be postponed for a year because he couldn't imagine holding them without spectators.
European officials condemned the US decision to impose a ban "unilaterally and without consultation." European Council and European Commission Presidents Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen insisted the EU was "taking strong action to limit the spread of the virus."
The EU has largely left member states to fend for themselves with regard to decisive response to the epidemic. EU leaders in a conference call on Tuesday merely agreed to prevent shortages of medical equipment and promote vaccine development, as well as creating a fund to offset the economic impact of the epidemic. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested 60 to 70 percent of the population will be infected, but has not made any moves toward imposing travel restrictions or closing borders. France's Emmanuel Macron has criticized Austria and Slovakia for closing their own borders with coronavirus-stricken Italy, but French officials have hinted they plan to shift to a "Phase 3" response - the highest level of government action - soon. Italy, the hardest-hit of all EU countries, has imposed a nationwide lockdown, shuttering shops and restaurants and advising all residents to stay home and avoid travel for the rest of the month as the death toll jumped to 631 on Wednesday.
Comment: Video of the address here:
Trump, however, claims that this travel restriction will not affect trade (although his announcement did!): In addition to the trade 'exemption', $200bn in tax relief and low-interest loans will go into effect as a financial stimulus: Trump justifies his implementation of a travel ban without consulting the EU because of his need to "move fast", adding he exempted the UK because it was doing a "good job combating the virus":