US President Donald Trump will suspend all passenger air travel between Europe and the United States from Friday midnight for a period of thirty days. The United States is introducing this entry ban for 26 European countries, including the Netherlands. The emergency measure will take effect on Saturday at 04.59 am Dutch time and is intended to limit the outbreak of the corona virus in the US.
The ban will remain in force for thirty days, President Trump announced. He initially said in his speech that freight traffic is also affected - but later corrected on Twitter that trade remains unaffected:
"The measure only stops people, not goods."
The entry ban applies specifically to non-Americans who have been in one or more Schengen countries in the fourteen days before departure. That is roughly all EU countries plus Switzerland and Norway. The UK is not a Schengen country and therefore travelers from there are still allowed to enter the US. You can find it on the Rijksoverheid website a list of all 26 Schengen countries.
There are a number of exceptions to the travel ban, such as for Europeans who have immediate family in the US. American citizens are also allowed to travel back from Europe, provided they have been pre-screened for the virus.
Criticism of European corona approach
Trump's criticized speech from the White House criticized EU countries. According to him, they have taken too few precautions to contain the outbreak. European travelers have also contributed to the spread of Covid-19 in the US, Trump said.
After all, American citizens remain welcome, albeit after a screening. Currently, more than 1.000 people in the US are infected with the lung virus. There have been 38 deaths in the US to date, the largest number in Washington State.
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