President Donald Trump on Wednesday made an announcement in a televised address that the U.S. is halting all travel from Europe to the U.S. for 30 days starting Friday at midnight in an effort to slow down the spread of coronavirus, Fox News informed.
The President had a serious tone during his address from the Oval Office and said, “We made a lifesaving move with early action on China. Now we must take the same action with Europe.”
His address came hours after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 a global pandemic and the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. climbed to more than 1,200. Trump said the new travel exemptions do not apply to the United Kingdom.
“The virus will not have a chance against us. No nation is more prepared, or more resilient,” Trump said. “We are all in this together. We must put politics aside, stop the partisanship and unify together as one nation, and one family.”
A European diplomat told Reuters that the White House did not notify European officials before his address. Right after Trump announced the ban, Saudi Arabia stated that it would also ban travel to and from the European Union.
“There will be exemptions for Americans who have undergone appropriate screening, and these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval,” Trump said. “Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing.”
The ban only applies to humans, not goods and cargo, a White House official told Fox News. Those transporting goods will “not be admitted into the country, but the goods will be.”
Trump later signed a Presidential Proclamation that suspends the entry of most foreign nationals who visited certain European countries in the past two weeks. The suspension does not apply to legal permanent residents, according to the statement.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a joint statement following the address and said the best “way to help keep American people safe and ensure their economic security is for the President to focus on fighting the spread of the coronavirus itself. They said Trump failed to address the lack of coronavirus testing kits.”
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