This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/white-house-considers-moving-all-of-europe-to-level-3-travel-advisory/2020/03/11/844090d0-63bc-11ea-b3fc-7841686c5c57_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_homepage

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
White House considers moving all of Europe to Level 3 travel advisory White House suspends travel from most of Europe to the United States beginning Friday
(about 4 hours later)
The White House is considering placing all of Europe under a Level 3 travel advisory, discouraging all nonessential travel there to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Nearly all travel from Europe to the United States will be suspended for 30 days in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, President Trump said in an address to the nation Wednesday night.
China is at a Level 4, which discourages all travel to the country. South Korea and Italy are at Level 3, though some regions in both countries are at a Level 4 because of the prevalence of the outbreak. The ban, which takes effect at midnight Friday, will not include Britain.
The people with knowledge of the White House coronavirus task force discussions, including an administration official, said that the conversations have been ongoing but that no decision has been made. “I am confident that by counting and continuing to take these tough measures, we will significantly reduce the threat to our citizens and we will ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus,” Trump said.
President Trump is scheduled to discuss is administration’s response to the coronavirus outbreak in an address from the Oval Office at 9 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday. It’s not clear whether he will address travel restrictions. Trump also criticized Europe for not acting to quickly enact travel restrictions for China, as the U.S. did, saying virus clusters here were “seeded by travel from Europe.”
Trump’s speech comes as the number of cases in the U.S. topped more than 1,000. At least 31 people have died. It also comes on the same day that the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic, reflecting alarm that countries aren’t working quickly and aggressively enough to fight covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. The announcement came on the same day the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic, reflecting alarm that countries aren’t working quickly and aggressively enough to fight covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. WHO officials said countries should take a “blended” approach — focusing on containment to slow the spread, in hopes of buying time for mitigation strategies.
WHO officials said countries should take a “blended” approach – focusing on containment to slow the spread, in hopes of buying time for mitigation strategies. Worldwide there are now more than 121,000 cases of the coronavirus in 114 countries. More than 4,300 people have died. In the United States there are more than 1,000 cases and at least 31 people have died.
[Live updates: WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic][Live updates: WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic]
The administration official said the White House is considering more restrictions because it thinks Europe has become the biggest originator of new cases. Earlier in the day, the administration had signaled that the growing number of infections in Europe was prompting it to reexamine its strategy for containing the virus, but Trump had not been expected to announce a ban.
At a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, confirmed that the administration is shifting its focus to Europe. At a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, confirmed that the administration was shifting its focus to Europe.
“A real threat right now is Europe,” he told committee members. “That’s where the cases are coming in. Europe is the new China.”“A real threat right now is Europe,” he told committee members. “That’s where the cases are coming in. Europe is the new China.”
However some experts question whether Trump’s strategy is the right approach.
Such bans can cause people to simply keep their travel surreptitious, making it harder to do crucial contact tracing of those who are infected. It can also choke the supply chain for medical supplies, drugs and other essentials. Such bans, experts also point out, can cause friction, hampering information sharing and international efforts — as has happened between the United States and China — at a time when coordination and transparency has been crucial to fighting the virus.
In Italy, where the number of infections has grown exponentially, more than 10,000 cases have been reported and there have been more than 600 deaths. This week, the country’s leader took the drastic steps of imposing a nationwide lockdown that will limit the movement of 60 million people in hopes of containing the spread of the virus. On Wednesday, the country announced even more drastic measures, saying it will stop almost all commercial activity aside from supermarkets and pharmacies.In Italy, where the number of infections has grown exponentially, more than 10,000 cases have been reported and there have been more than 600 deaths. This week, the country’s leader took the drastic steps of imposing a nationwide lockdown that will limit the movement of 60 million people in hopes of containing the spread of the virus. On Wednesday, the country announced even more drastic measures, saying it will stop almost all commercial activity aside from supermarkets and pharmacies.
Raising the advisory to a Level 3 for European nations could be an effective strategy for reducing travel between the United States and Europe without having to impose a travel ban similar to what is in place for travelers coming from China or Iran, said the individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. In the United States, Trump’s announcement could also further hobble the airline industry, which is already facing enormous and potentially crippling financial pressures.
The administration already has a strategy in place for dealing with passengers coming to the United States from countries where there have been significant numbers of infections. Travelers from China and Iran are being funneled through one of 11 U.S. airports where they go undergo enhanced screening for signs of the virus. It’s possible that such a program could be expanded to include travelers from other countries. [Sign up for our coronavirus newsletter]
“They are watching the situation in Europe and are very worried — not just about Italy but France, Spain and Germany,” one of the individuals said. The person also noted that German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that 70 percent of Germans ultimately could be infected. Already this week, Delta Air Lines, for example, announced it may cut as much as a quarter of its international flights and reduce domestic routes by as much as 15 percent due to decreased demand. The carrier has instituted a hiring freeze and is suspending its stock repurchase program. American and United are also cutting back some routes, while Southwest Airlines chief executive Gary Kelly has said he will take a 10 percent pay cut.
Meanwhile, airlines already face enormous and potentially crippling financial pressure and fear that further restrictions could cause additional damage to their businesses.
Sign up for our coronavirus newsletter
This week, Delta Air Lines, for example, announced it may cut as much as a quarter of its international flights and reduce domestic routes by as much as 15 percent. The carrier has instituted a hiring freeze and is suspending its stock repurchase program. American and United are also cutting back some routes, while Southwest Airlines chief executive Gary Kelly has said he will take a 10 percent pay cut.
Carriers, including United, American and Southwest, are already dealing with fallout from the grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.Carriers, including United, American and Southwest, are already dealing with fallout from the grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.
When China and, later, South Korea were moved to a Level 3, passenger demand dropped dramatically, and airlines began canceling flights. “We are in contact with the federal government to understand and comply with this directive,” American Airlines said in a statement. “The health and safety of our customers and team members remains our highest priority.”
This is a developing story. Even if they are only in place for 30 days, the travel restrictions could cause additional damage to not just to airlines, but airports and other businesses that depend on the aviation sector.
Nick Miroff contributed to this report. In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, Trump credited sweeping travel restrictions imposed on China by his administration for helping slow the spread of the virus in the United States. In that instance, all flights from China were funneled through one of 11 U.S. airports. Once there, U.S. citizens and who had been in China in the last 14 days were required to undergo enhanced screening and were subject to quarantine if they showed signs of the virus; most non-U. S. citizens simply were barred from entering the country.
“The European Union failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hotspots as a result a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travelers from Europe,” Trump said.
The president also offered some cautions for older Americans, who are most vulnerable to the virus, urging them to “avoid nonessential travel in crowded areas.”
Nick Miroff and Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report.