European Travel Ban: What We Know So Far Safety

What to Know About the New European Travel Ban

White House bars many from entering U S returning Americans will be screened

DuKai/Getty Images Europeans from 28 countries are barred from the United States for the next 30 days, due to the urgent need to curb the spreading . U.S. citizens and permanent residents are not banned from returning from those countries, but they have to undergo screening upon their arrival and a voluntary two-week quarantine. "I don't want people dying,” President Donald Trump said, explaining his decision to reporters on Thursday. The travel ban began at midnight Friday and applies to foreign nationals from what's known as the Schengen Area, home to 26 open-border countries within the European Union, as well as Ireland and Great Britain. The declared the coronavirus a global pandemic on Wednesday, and the U.S. is battling its own rapidly spreading outbreak. The announcement has evoked confusion — details have been scarce, and information has been conflicting. (For example, the president first said that the ban would apply to cargo, then later reassured Americans in a tweet that trade will continue as usual.) The ban also inspired vehement protests from European Union officials, who have said: “The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent, and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action.” Here's what is known so far about the procedures for U.S. citizens and permanent residents reentering the U.S. from those 28 European countries during the next 30 days: 1. You'll need to fly into a U.S. airport with screening capabilities. Returning Americans who have been to any of the Schengen Area countries within the past 14 days are being “funneled” through certain U.S. airports. 2. Flights will become increasingly limited. Delta has suspended many flights between certain cities in Europe and U.S. airports that are not approved for screening. It now has only routes between Cincinnati and Indianapolis to Paris; and from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Paris and London's Heathrow Airport.
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3. Some U.S. airlines, already shell-shocked by the travel slowdown caused by the pandemic, are trying to accommodate travelers by allowing no-fee changes. , and also have said they are capping fares to prevent them from skyrocketing in response to limited routes and options caused by a dramatic slowdown in bookings. American said in a statement: “We have capped our main cabin fares from Europe and the U.K. at a maximum of 799 EUR/GBP, and fares from the U.S. have been capped at $1,000. These fares include taxes and fees that are typically around $250 to $300 on transatlantic routes. We are also offering reasonably priced fares for our premium cabins on our trans-Atlantic routes.” (See airlines’ sites for details.) 4. U.S. citizens or residents who fly in from the 28 European countries under the new travel ban are being screened upon their arrival. 5. There is a two-week quarantine period upon arrival in the U.S. Returning U.S. citizens or residents, regardless of symptoms, are asked to voluntarily self-quarantine for 14 days, Vice President Pence said that “there's no barrier to ... any American coming home. They'll go through a process. We'll ask them to self-quarantine, but they can all come home.” Editor's note: This story was originally published on March 12, 2020. It's been updated to reflect new travel ban announcements due to coronavirus.

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