U.S. Will Add UK, Ireland to Travel Ban Over Coronavirus

President Trump also announced that he’s been tested for the coronavirus and recommended Americans avoid domestic travel.

The U.S. will extend its partial travel ban from Europe to include Ireland and the UK, President Trump confirmed Saturday. Vice President Mike Pence said the ban will take effect midnight Monday, adding that American citizens “can come home” from those areas.

The announcement came during a D.C. press briefing that included the coronavirus task force, as the country’s COVID-19 cases have climbed past 2,400 and left at least 47 people dead. Trump also said Saturday that he has been tested for the virus, less than 24 hours after he declared a national emergency. 

Trump, who last weekend came into contact with a Brazilian official who tested positive for the coronavirus, wasn’t showing symptoms for the virus and had no plans to be tested as recently as Friday night, according to a memo from his doctor. The World Health Organization this week categorized Europe as the “epicenter” of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Pence said the White House’s task force health experts made a “unanimous recommendation” to suspend travel from the two additional countries. On the newly banned countries’ number of coronavirus cases, Trump said: “They've had a little bit of activity, unfortunately.” According to the BBC, the initial ban has been met with “anger and confusion" by the European Union, whose leaders have accused Trump of restricting travel “without consultation.”

The briefing followed the House's passage yesterday of a sweeping relief package covering free testing, paid sick leave, and more. The U.S. Senate has recessed until Monday, delaying its passage into law.

Other key moments from the briefing included Trump advising Americans against unnecessary domestic travel. He said he is working with the states to impose potential domestic travel restrictions. 
 
In an uncharacteristic move, Trump also praised the press coverage of the government response to the outbreak over the last 24 hours for being “very fair.” 

Reporters asked Trump whether Americans’ widespread rush to the grocery store is the right move, and called out the President’s “mixed messages” in terms of urgency over the outbreak. On Saturday, Apple announced that it will close most of its stores worldwide, becoming the first major retailer to shutter stores in response to the global pandemic.

“I’ve been urgent, this is urgent for me right from the beginning,” Trump said Saturday. "You’ll know that because I closed our country up to China.”

When asked why he continues to shake hands — which defies public health experts’ advice — the President said, “It becomes a habit… we’re all getting out of that. Shaking hands is not a great thing to be doing right now, I agree.”

On Wednesday night, President Trump announced a travel ban affecting most of western Europe — the same day the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic. On Thursday morning, Pence, who has been tasked with overseeing the U.S. response to the outbreak, repeatedly dodged questions about declining coronavirus testing numbers.

Related: How "Social Distancing" Can Help Stop The Spread Of Coronavirus

Watch the briefing here:

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