Trump could bar UK travellers amid national crisis
DONALD TRUMP yesterday said he was considering banning all travel from the UK to America, despite initially granting an exemption, as he declared a national emergency over the coronavirus outbreak.
The US president said the recent increase in confirmed cases in Britain meant it may be added to the 26 other European countries already hit with travel suspensions.
“We may have to include them in the list of countries that we will, you can say, ban or whatever it is, during this period of time,” Mr Trump said.
He added later: “It was looking good but the results have been building up pretty rapidly, so we’ll be taking another look at that, absolutely.” The comments throw doubt on whether Britons will be able to travel to America in the coming weeks. Mr Trump’s European travel ban came into effect at midnight yesterday. US citizens are exempted.
Mr Trump used a press conference at the White House’s Rose Garden to declare a national emergency in a marked escalation in the battle to contain coronavirus in America.
The move will free up $50 billion (£41 billion) for states and local authorities to use. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has now soared beyond 1,700, with 41 deaths.
Mr Trump urged states to set up emergency centres, handed new powers to his health secretary and waived hospitals from current personnel and management restrictions. “To unleash the full power of the federal government in this effort today, I am officially declaring a national emergency. Two very big words,” Mr Trump said. He added that he personally expects to be tested for coronavirus in the coming days. “Most likely, yes, most likely,” he said.
The US president has been under pressure to get checked after coming into contact with people who had tested positive for the virus or been self-quarantined. He said he was not displaying any of the virus’s symptoms.
The president said his administration had partnered with private companies to get more tests to Americans, though said only those who really needed checks should get them.
Mr Trump said he is hoping to make “drive-through tests” available in some
locations where people can get checked without leaving their cars.
He also said that Google is helping to develop a website to determine whether someone needs a test and, if so, to facilitate a check in a nearby location. However, Mr Trump dismissed outright the suggestion that he should take responsibility for the problems in rolling out tests, despite his top health officials admitting failings.
“No, I don’t take responsibility at all because we were given a set of circumstances and we were given rules, regulations and specifications from a different time,” Mr Trump said.
There was growing concerns yesterday that world leaders, government ministers and their advisers may inadvertently have been spreading the virus at meetings in the last fortnight.
Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian president, said that he had tested negative for coronavirus, following a day of speculation after his press secretary tested positive.
Both men socialised with Mr Trump and Mike Pence, the US vice president, at the president’s Florida golf resort last weekend.
Ivanka Trump, the US president’s daughter, worked from home yesterday after an Australian politician she met last week, Peter Dutton, tested positive for coronavirus, but a White House spokesman said she was “exhibiting no symptoms”.
William Barr, the US attorney general, Kellyanne Conway, the White House adviser, and James Brokenshire, the Home Office minister, all attended the meeting. Mr Brokenshire is understood to be self-quarantining.
Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, announced that he was selfisolating after his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau tested positive for the virus having returned from London.
Emmanaul Macron, the French president, announced that the G7 country leaders will have a video-conference on Monday to co-ordinate planning on efforts to develop a vaccine and measures to protect the world economy.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker, announced a proposed bill, named the “The Families-first Coronavirus Response Act”, which was due to be voted on yesterday. The legislation includes free coronavirus testing, two weeks paid sick leave, strengthened unemployment insurance and help getting food to tens of millions of children who get discounted school meals.