All US to/from continental Europe flights suspended for 30 days

[JeremyTexas]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/03/11/coronavirus-trump-suspends-all-travel-from-europe.html

 

Apologies for putting this in a new thread.  

[colbe]

What your President said is different to what his Home-land Security secretary has published.

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/03/11/homeland-security-acting-secretary-chad-f-wolf-s-statement-presidential-proclamation

[JeremyTexas]

Not sure I see the disconnect between the two.  The key takeaway is that there will have to be immediate changes to European sailings.

[colbe]

2 minutes ago, JeremyTexas said:

Not sure I see the disconnect between the two.  The key takeaway is that there will have to be immediate changes to European sailings.

The ban is on travellers, not flights. That is a huge difference.

[JeremyTexas]

Noted...

[*Miss G*]

Just watched my local news (Washington, DC) interviewing passengers at Dulles Airport who were literally waiting to board flights to Europe when they were texted by friends.  Now they are heading back home.  I also see that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have tested positive in Australia.  I can’t even imagine the repercussions for those who are already overseas.  What a mess.

[knittinggirl]

No Fox News, Trump treated that the ban doesn't extend to goods, just passengers.  I guess all those container box loaders we see in ports involve little face to face contact.

Edited March 12, 2020 by knittinggirl

[Galley Slave]

They have corrected this travel restriction.  It does not apply to U.S. citizens, only people from Europe.  Citizens and family from U. S. Can still fly home. 

[colbe]

3 minutes ago, Galley Slave said:

They have corrected this travel restriction.  It does not apply to U.S. citizens, only people from Europe.  Citizens and family from U. S. Can still fly home. 

It only applies to people who have been in the SCHENGEN Area countries, it is not a general Europe ban.

[Hlitner]

45 minutes ago, colbe said:

The ban is on travellers, not flights. That is a huge difference.

Actually it is not different in practice.  Given the immediate shortage of passengers and potential liability if anyone were to be exposed to an infected passenger, you can expect nearly all the direct flights between the USA and Europe to stop in the next few days.  Airlines will simply park their aircraft, reduce their expenses, and wait.  Since the UK is the one exception there will be tremendous pressure on the UK to screen passengers on flights to/from the USA.  

 

Was the President right?  While debatable, the Europeans have done little to stop movement between the Schengen nations and they have resisted any tough measures with the exception of Italy.   Trump got a lot of criticism when he curbed travel between the USA and China and its interesting that many of those same critics have recently been critical because he did not do enough.  Now, he is apparently following the suggestions of the task force he will likely again be criticized.  No matter what he or other world leaders do, they will be wrong in the eyes of those with their own agenda.  On the other hand, we do not hear most critics tossing out better ideas...but they simply oppose everything done by those in power.    

 

The cruise lines are in an awful position and whatever they do will be wrong in the eyes of many.  You could not pay me enough to be one of the decision makers in the cruise line executive suites.  And I do not envy the UK being the one European exception.  Heathrow is going to be an interesting place for the next month.

 

Hank

[colbe]

9 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

And I do not envy the UK being the one European exception.  Heathrow is going to be an interesting place for the next month.

UK is not "exempt". They are not in the SCHENGEN Area, so the ban does not apply to them. Ireland and several other European countries are not either.

[oakridger]

Isn't banning people from anywhere a case of "Closing the Barn Door after the Horses got out"?  The virus is already all over the US.  What about travelers coming from Australia, Africa, Iceland, etc.?  Those places all have cases too.  Can anyone explain why not letting in someone from Spain is going to protect us more than letting in someone from South Africa?  I'm not trying to be snarky, I would really like to know.

 

Thanks.

Edited March 12, 2020 by oakridger
fixed

[cruiserchuck]

20 minutes ago, oakridger said:

Isn't banning people from anywhere a case of "Closing the Barn Door after the Horses got out"?  The virus is already all over the US.  What about travelers coming from Australia, Africa, Iceland, etc.?  Those places all have cases too.  Can anyone explain why not letting in someone from Spain is going to protect us more than letting in someone from South Africa?  I'm not trying to be snarky, I would really like to know.

 

Thanks.

 

I have no clue why the new ban only lists certain countries, many of which have fewer cases than the UK.  But I do know something about Iceland and their horses.  

 

The horses in Iceland are smaller that most horses.  They are known for their long manes.  If/when they leave Iceland, they can never return.  I learned this when we visited Iceland on a cruise last year.  

[oakridger]

Thanks cruiserchuck for the equine info!  I'd really rather think about horses or Iceland or pretty much anything else than this horrible mess we are having now.  But I did have to ask!  😉

 

[Wehwalt]

4 hours ago, colbe said:

What your President said is different to what his Home-land Security secretary has published.

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/03/11/homeland-security-acting-secretary-chad-f-wolf-s-statement-presidential-proclamation

Looks like a different syndrome to me! Good thing it’s not contagious. 

Edited March 12, 2020 by Wehwalt

[Krazy Kruizers]

Guess it will be a waiting game to see exactly what happens and whom it will involve.

[comcox]

4 hours ago, oakridger said:

Isn't banning people from anywhere a case of "Closing the Barn Door after the Horses got out"?  The virus is already all over the US.  What about travelers coming from Australia, Africa, Iceland, etc.?  Those places all have cases too.  Can anyone explain why not letting in someone from Spain is going to protect us more than letting in someone from South Africa?  I'm not trying to be snarky, I would really like to know.

 

Thanks.

Not snarky at all.  I totally agree with you.

[Woofbite]

Issuing a decree banning European flights without including the U.K. seems pointless.  The entire world transfers

through Heathrow and I can't imagine it being more than a few days before that is restricted as well.

[MAVIP]

6 hours ago, colbe said:

UK is not "exempt". They are not in the SCHENGEN Area, so the ban does not apply to them. Ireland and several other European countries are not either.

Non Schengen countries in the EU:  Bulgaria , Cyprus; Ireland; Croatia; Rumenia.  

[Wehwalt]

1 minute ago, Woofbite said:

Issuing a decree banning European flights without including the U.K. seems pointless.  The entire world transfers

through Heathrow and I can't imagine it being more than a few days before that is restricted as well.

He reserved the right to modify it and if that becomes an issue he could ban Schengen passports on UK flights to US. 

[Dunelm]

17 hours ago, colbe said:

UK is not "exempt". They are not in the SCHENGEN Area, so the ban does not apply to them. Ireland and several other European countries are not either.

hlitner was correct in mentioning the UK exemption.  It does not make a lot of sense.  I know many Brits, and I watch BBC news.  Despite preparing well before the United States for this new virus (testing kits, urging people with mild symptoms to stay away from family practitioners and hospitals, and telling others to phone a hotline to be given instructions) there has been an upsurge of new cases.  Brits love to travel, and are continuing to take cruises and flights seeking the sun.  Hence, there are apparently more cases of the virus in the UK than in some of the banned countries.  The fact that the UK is not included in the ban has a slight "smell" to me. 

[TAD2005]

12 hours ago, Woofbite said:

Issuing a decree banning European flights without including the U.K. seems pointless.  The entire world transfers

through Heathrow and I can't imagine it being more than a few days before that is restricted as well.

EU countries cannot use UK airports to skirt the restriction.   Your passport will clearly tell where you have been recently.  If you live in or have been in a Schengen country, you won't even get on the flight.   

[colbe]

1 hour ago, Dunelm said:

hlitner was correct in mentioning the UK exemption.  It does not make a lot of sense.  I know many Brits, and I watch BBC news.  Despite preparing well before the United States for this new virus (testing kits, urging people with mild symptoms to stay away from family practitioners and hospitals, and telling others to phone a hotline to be given instructions) there has been an upsurge of new cases.  Brits love to travel, and are continuing to take cruises and flights seeking the sun.  Hence, there are apparently more cases of the virus in the UK than in some of the banned countries.  The fact that the UK is not included in the ban has a slight "smell" to me. 

Britain is not 'exempt'. It was never part of the ban, as the ban only applies to Schengan Area countries.

[idiebabe]

27 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

EU countries cannot use UK airports to skirt the restriction.   Your passport will clearly tell where you have been recently.  If you live in or have been in a Schengen country, you won't even get on the flight.   

 

Exactly!

 

Also, if anyone actually watched his Oval Address last night live he said that U.S. Citizens will be screened and allowed home.  Some MSM stations have played a portion of his Address and cutting it off where he stated about US Citizens and Cargo Ships.  Politics is ugly and and has no place with regards to this Pandemic especially when they are actually lying and playing to an audience that doesn’t hear exactly what was said!  Disgusting!  

[Vict0riann]

On our local news this evening we were told that if we leave Canada, even to go to the US, we will be required to self-isolate for 14 days when we return.