A proclamation was signed earlier tonight, Wednesday, March 11, 2020 by Donald J. Trump — who is currently the president of the United States — which suspends the entry of most foreign nationals for 30 days who have been in 26 countries in Europe at any point during the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States effective as of Friday, March 13, 2020.
Travel From Europe to the United States Suspended for Most Foreign Nationals For 30 Days
The proclamation is part of an effort to protect the United States and its citizens from the pandemic of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus — which is also known as COVID-19 or 2019-nCoV — and does not apply to legal permanent residents, immediate family members of citizens of the United States in general, and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation.
“Protecting the American people from threats to their safety is the most important job of the President of the United States”, according to this official statement from Chad F. Wolf, who is the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security of the United States. “The actions President Trump is taking to deny entry to foreign nationals who have been in affected areas will keep Americans safe and save American lives. I applaud the president for making this tough but necessary decision. While these new travel restrictions will be disruptive to some travelers, this decisive action is needed to protect the American public from further exposure to the potentially deadly coronavirus.”
The statement continues with “In January and February, the Administration issued similar travel restrictions on individuals who had been in China and Iran. That action proved to be effective in slowing the spread of the virus to the U.S., while public health officials prepared. In the next 48 hours, in the interest of public health, I intend to issue a supplemental Notice of Arrivals Restriction requiring U.S. passengers that have been in the Schengen Area to travel through select airports where the U.S. Government has implemented enhanced screening procedures.”
The 26 countries — which are included as part of the Schengen Area — are listed in alphabetical order:
- 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
- Switzerland
You can watch the complete speech by Donald Trump pertaining to this topic in this video.
At the time this article was written, at least 4,292 people have died of the minimum of 118,326 confirmed cases in 114 countries and territories worldwide, according to Situation Report 51 of the World Health Organization pertaining to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.
Summary
Although Europe is now the “hot spot” in terms of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, I do wonder why flights from Asia were not included in the proclamation? After all, China is the epicenter of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus — similar restrictions have been implemented against that country and Iran — and South Korea and Japan have had their issues with it as well.
“What about travel to Mexico and Canada from Europe?” is what Matthew Klint of Live and Let’s Fly asked in this article. “Will Americans in Europe have to undergo quarantine? Will airlines cancel all flights to/from Europe? Has the USA just handed an incredible gift to British Airways? Trump mentioned the ban ‘adjusted subject to conditions on the ground’ — what would that look like?”
This article is the latest in a series pertaining to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in an effort to get the facts out with information derived from reliable sources.
Other articles at The Gate which pertain to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus include:
- My Unproven Secret to Not Contracting a Virus in Years
- Pandemic of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Declared by World Health Organization
- Official Warning Issued Against Travel by Cruise Ship Due to 2019 Novel Coronavirus by the Department of State of the United States
- Now the Entire Country of Italy is Under Quarantine
- 16 Million People Quarantined in Northern Italy
- Are Masks Effective Against 2019 Novel Coronavirus That People are Stealing Them?
- As Many as 46,000 People May Have Died in the United States Alone From…
- Lodging Companies Issue Travel Waivers and Elite Status Extensions 2020 Due to 2019 Novel Coronavirus
- Update: More Airlines Suspended Change and Cancellation Fees 2020 Due To Coronavirus
- Airlines Which Suspended Change and Cancellation Fees 2020 Due To Coronavirus
- Should You Be Concerned About Coronavirus?
- Travel Alert February 2020: Italy Now Affected by 2019 Novel Coronavirus
- Travel Alert February 2020: Northern Italy Now Affected by 2019 Novel Coronavirus
- Travel Alert February 2020: South Korea Now Affected by 2019 Novel Coronavirus
- A Deal to Antarctica Because of 2019 Novel Coronavirus — But Hurry
- Update: Do Not Travel to China Due to 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Says United States Department of State
- Travel Alert January 2020: Hong Kong Now Affected by 2019 Novel Coronavirus
- Update January 2020: Additional Airlines Issue Travel Waivers for 2019 Novel Coronavirus
- Travel Alert January 2020: 2019 Novel Coronavirus Affecting Air Travel
Photograph ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
