This is still developing news and I don’t have all the answers yet but during a televised address tonight, President Trump just announced that ALL travel from Europe to the United States will be suspended for the next 30 days. The only exception will be travel to/from the United Kingdom and goods/cargo will not be included in the travel ban. The travel ban will take effect on Friday, March 13, 2020, at midnight.
President Trump also added that the travel restrictions will be adjusted subject to conditions on the ground and Americans who have undergone appropriate screening will be exempt from this ban (permitted to travel) but I’m not sure what that really means. What kind of medical screening will be required? Do you need to visit a doctor and receive a “clean bill of health” or is it a simple temperature check? What about legal residents or other visa holders? This is so crazy and I have so many questions. You can watch the televised address by clicking here.
The Department of Homeland Security just put out a statement regarding this. Thank you, Steve Case, for the info.
“Today President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation, which suspends the entry of most foreign nationals who have been in certain European countries at any point during the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States. 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. This does not apply to legal permanent residents, (generally) immediate family members of U.S. citizens, and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation.”
This does answer some questions I had above but I really wished I could read the exact words of the Presidential Proclamation to see what it really says. I don’t know why President Trump did not address these concerns specifically in his televised address.
Update* 3/11/20 @ 8:13 PM
Ok, I just read the actual Presidential Proclamation. It doesn’t apply to U.S. citizens and it has a bunch of exemptions for legal residents, family members, etc. and it doesn’t include all of Europe, only the Schengen countries. I have no idea why President Trump said what he said on TV as it directly contradicts what the proclamation actually reads. Sorry for the false alarm. You can read the entire proclaimation by clicking here.
I’ll add more information as it develops.
James.
