USA suspends all travel from Europe for the next 30 days
4431 Min Read
US President Donald Trump has announced sweeping new travel restrictions on Europe in a bid to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
In a televised address, he said all travel from European countries would be suspended for the next 30 days.
This does not apply to legal permanent residents, immediate family members of U.S. citizens, and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation.
These countries, known as the Schengen Area, include: 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, and Switzerland.
The restrictions do not apply to Britain, he said.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Mr. Trump also said health insurance companies had agreed to extend insurance coverage to cover coronavirus treatments as well as waive related co-payments.
The unprecedented shutdown coincided with Washington state Governor Jay Inslee banning public gatherings of more than 250 people in the Seattle region.
The greater Seattle area is the epicentre of the deadliest, and one of the largest, clusters of coronavirus infections in the United States, accounting for the bulk of at least 37 people killed in the country by the highly contagious respiratory illness, also known as COVID-19.
