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.
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 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.
President Donald 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 time Wednesday. It’s not clear whether he will address travel restrictions.
Trump’s speech comes as the number of cases in the U.S. topped more than 1,000. At least 31 people have died in the nation. 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.
WHO officials said countries should take a “blended” approach – focusing on containment to slow the spread, in hopes of buying time for mitigation strategies.
The administration official said the White House is considering more restrictions because it thinks Europe has become the biggest originator of new cases.
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.
“A real threat right now is Europe,” he told committee members. “That’s where the cases are coming in. Europe is the new China.”
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.
The reports come on the same day that the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic, reflecting concern from the WHO that countries are not working quickly and aggressively enough to contain the virus.
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.
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.
“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% of Germans ultimately could be infected.
Meanwhile, airlines already face enormous and potentially crippling financial pressure and fear that further restrictions could cause additional damage to their businesses.
This week, Delta Air Lines announced that it may cut as much as a quarter of its international flights and reduce domestic routes by as much as 15%. 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% pay cut.
Carriers, including United, American and Southwest, are already dealing with fallout from the grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max after two 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.
(c) 2020, The Washington Post · Lori Aratani, Josh Dawsey
{Maztav.com}
it’s impossible to control the spread of conovirus especially with the media whooping it up. so i have decided to ignore it. if the Ribono Shel Olam wants me to be sick, i’ll be sick and if He wants me to be well. i will be well. of course, that does not absolve from normal behavior to keep me healthy