US President Trump Declares All Travel from Europe to Be Restricted Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Posted on 03/12/2020
U.S. President Donald Trump in a bid to stop and slowdown the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States has revealed a ban on travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. The U.K. was excluded from the travel ban. The new travel restrictions impacting Europe ex-U.K. will take effect Friday at midnight.
The ban is being enacted as the American public grows anxious over public health and the overall economy. Trump said the EU had “failed to take the same precautions” as the United States did with China earlier.
“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. The situation may change and the travel ban could be revisited depending on assessment from the U.S. government.
Dr. Brian Monahan is the attending physician of the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. NBC News reported that the doctor said that he expects 70 million to 150 million people in the U.S. will become infected with COVID-19.
COVID-19 Outbreak Worsens in Europe
2 weeks ago, Italy had around 322 confirmed coronavirus cases, and then one week after, 2,502 cases were recorded. The most recent count is 10,149 cases in Italy and doctors and nurses across Italy are unable to treat everyone. The Italian College of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SIAARTI) published criteria for doctors and nurses to follow with regard to limited health resources, as there is a lack of machines to ventilate people who need air. In addition, Italy plans to mandate that all shops close except for pharmacies and food stores.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel bluntly revealed that up to 70% of Germany’s population, around 58 million people, could contract the coronavirus.
China
The coronavirus outbreak originated in China. China mandated that people coming from other countries need to be quarantined for 14 days.
NBA and NCAA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended its season following Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert testing positive for COVID-19. The NCAA revealed that the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments would play in empty stadiums.