Donald Trump defends his coronavirus European travel ban
Donald Trump has suspended all flights from mainland Europe to the US for 30 days following the spread of coronavirus cases across the continent.
The US president said the sanctions will come into effect from midnight – but will not apply to flights from the UK.
He blamed the European Union for not acting quickly enough to address the outbreak of the virus and said US clusters were “seeded” by European travellers.
Mr Trump said: “We made a lifesaving move with early action on China. Now we must take the same action with Europe.”
The president said the US would monitor the situation to determine if travel could be reopened earlier.
Mr Trump said “we are marshalling the full power” of the government and private sector to protect the American people.
He also announced the US will defer tax payments for some individuals and businesses for three months to lessen the impacts of the virus outbreak.
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He said the Small Business Administration will also make low-interest loans available to businesses to help them weather the storm.
“This is not a financial crisis,” he said. “This just a temporary moment of time that we will overcome together as a nation and as a world.”
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