President Trump announces suspension of travel between U.S. and Europe for 30 days

President Trump had delivered an address to the nation in regards to the global coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday. The president announced a restriction on travel between the United States and Europe for 30 days with certain exceptions.

Trump stated the restrictions will not apply to the United Kingdom and the U.S. would monitor the situation to determine if travel could reopened earlier.

“It only matters how you respond and we are responding with great speed and professionalism,” the president said.

The president also announced some initiatives to increase capital liquidity to forms affected by the coronavirus and economic loans to those business in affected states and territories. Health insurance companies have begun waiving copays for coronavirus tests.

Trump also mentioned that he is seeking approval for $50 billion in spending to combat the virus. He reiterated his call on Congress to pass a cut to the federal payroll tax in order to stimulate the economy.

The prime-time address came a day after Vice President Mike Pence’s press conference where he announced different initiatives to create a greater availability of masks and test, along with health insurance waivers.

Several major events across the country, including Coachella, SXSW and South by Southwest, have been either postponed or cancelled entirely due to coronavirus fears.

On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially classified the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. According to data provided by John Hopkins University, at least 4,500 individuals have died from the virus so far and over 66,000 have recovered. As of Wednesday, there were over 124,000 confirmed cases of the virus.