US bans all travel to and from UK and Ireland amid coronavirus crackdown

Follow our live Covid-19 updates HERE Coronavirus: The symptoms

The US has banned all travel from the UK and Ireland in a bid to curb the coronavirus spread.

The new restrictions are set to last for 30 days and will begin at midnight EST on Monday (4am UK time), Vice President Mike Pence confirmed today.

The announcement was made just hours after a US shutdown on 26 European countries came into force.

President Donald Trump hinted that the travel ban would be extended to Britain last night owing to the "precipitous" rise in the nation's number of cases.

At a White Office press conference on Saturday Mr Trump was asked whether he could confirm it would take place.

He then revealed that the move was "going to be announced.”

Moments later, Mr Pence replaced him on the podium and said: “In our taskforce meeting today the president has made a decision to suspend all travel to the UK and Ireland, effective midnight Monday night, eastern standard time.”

The Vice President said there had been a “unanimous recommendation” from health experts to extend the travel ban.

Under the restrictions, American citizens, green card holders and others are still allowed to return home to the US, but will be funnelled to 13 airports and be subjected to health screenings and quarantine orders.

A UK Foreign Office spokesman responded to the news by saying: “This is a decision for the US.

“We are working to provide as much information and support to affected British nationals as possible.

“We continue to coordinate closely with the US and other international partners on the global response to coronavirus.”

Mr Trump said more bluntly at today's conference: "If you don't have to travel, I wouldn't do it,"

Coronavirus - In pictures

1/80

Commenting on the ban, a British Airways spokesman cited the airline’s “book with confidence” policy.

Customers who are booked to fly with the airline between March 14 and May 31 can cancel their booking and receive a voucher for the same value, it states.

The airline’s website says: “Vouchers are valid for 12 months and can be used to any destination.

“Your voucher can be used as part payment towards a future booking to any destination. It must be redeemed for travel on flights taken within 12 months of your original date of departure.

Irish airline Aer Lingus said: “We’re assessing the impact of new US government restrictions announced today on travel from Ireland and the UK to the United States. We will communicate directly with affected guests as soon as possible.

“All travel before 31 May can be changed to a later date and/or destination. No change fees apply. A fare difference may apply.”

The Embassy of Ireland in the USA tweeted: “Travel from US to Ireland remains unaffected by the @DHSgov announcement.

“Restrictions do not apply for travel from the US to Ireland & transatlantic flights continue to operate as scheduled.”

The US has so far confirmed 51 deaths linked to the pandemic and 2,488 infections.

These consist of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

The restrictions were met with anger and confusion by the EU, with leaders accusing the president of taking the decision "without consultation".

The UK and Ireland had been exempt from the ban, but Mr Trump said on Saturday: "They've had a little bit of activity, unfortunately."

Sporting a blue USA cap, the president told reporters at today's press briefing that he'd had his temperature taken before entering the room and it was "totally normal.

He also confirmed that he was tested for the virus on Friday night and that he expects the results in "a day or two days."

Earlier, The White House announced it would be conducting temperature checks on anyone who has close contact with with the president and his VP, including reporters attending press conferences.

The move is being taken as a precaution in response to the coronavirus outbreak, said Judd Deere, a US government spokesman.

Mr Trump has had multiple direct and indirect contacts with people who have tested positive for the pandemic virus last weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club on Florida.

On Friday, he declared a state of emergency as schools and workplaces across the country shuttered, flights cancelled and Americans braced for war against the health threat.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in