Donald Trump suspends all travel between the US and mainland Europe
The restrictions come into play from Friday
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday night he was suspending all travel between the United States and Europe - excluding the UK and Ireland - for 30 days starting on Friday as he seeks to combat the coronavirus.
Mr Trump made the announcement in an Oval Office address to the nation, blaming the European Union for not acting quickly enough to address the outbreak of the virus and saying US clusters were "seeded" by European travellers.
"We made a lifesaving move with early action on China," Mr Trump said. "Now we must take the same action with Europe."
Mr Trump said the restrictions would not apply to the UK. A list of 26 affected countries published on the US Homeland Security website also confirmed Ireland was among nations subject to the ban.
Homeland Security officials later clarified the new travel restrictions would only apply to most foreign nationals who had been in the "Schengen Area" at any point for 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States. The area includes Italy, German, Greece, Austria, Belgium and others.
It doesn't apply to legal permanent residents, immediate family of US citizens or others "identified in the proclamation."
The president said the US would monitor the situation to determine if travel could be reopened earlier than the 30-day period.
Published: by Radio NewsHub