Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, President Trump tonight announced sweeping new travel restrictions in a live address to the nation, instituting a 30-day travel ban from Europe to the United States of America. The new restrictions go into effect Friday at midnight.
President Trump Addresses the Nation on the Coronavirus Outbreak
President Trump’s remarks begin at 22:28
Transcript via uncorrected Closed Captioning:
MY FELLOW AMERICANS, TONIGHT I WANT TO SPEAK WITH YOU ABOUT OUR NATION’S UNPRECEDENTED RESPONSE TO THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK THAT STARTED IN CHINA AND IS NOW SPREADING FROM THE WORLD. TODAY, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED THAT THIS IS A GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
WE HAVE BEEN IN FREQUENT CONTACT WITH OUR ALLIES AND WE ARE MARSHALING THE FULL POWER OF THE GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THIS IS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT TO CONFRONT A FOREIGN VIRUS IN MODERN HISTORY. I’M CONFIDENT THAT BY CONTINUING TO TAKE THESE TOUGH MEASURES, WE WILL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE THREAT TO OUR CITIZENS AND WE WILL ULTIMATELY AND EXPEDITIOUSLY DEFEAT THIS VIRUS.
FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME, NATIONS AND PEOPLE HAVE FACED UNFORESEEN CHALLENGES INCLUDING LARGE-SCALE AND VERY DANGEROUS HEALTH THREATS. THIS IS THE WAY IT ALWAYS WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE. IT ONLY MATTERS HOW YOU RESPOND AND WE ARE RESPONDING WITH GREAT SPEED AND PROFESSIONALISM. OUR TEAM IS THE BEST ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. AT THE START OF THE OUTBREAK, WE INSTITUTED SWEEPING TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON CHINA AND PUT IN PLACE THE FIRST FEDERALLY-MANDATED QUARANTINE IN OVER 50 YEARS. WE DECLARED A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY AND ISSUED THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF TRAVEL WARNING ON OTHER COUNTRIES AS THE VIRUS SPREAD ITS HORRIBLE INFECTION. TAKING EARLY, INTENSE ACTION, WE HAVE SEEN FEWER CASES OF THE VIRUS IN THE UNITED STATES THAN ARE NOW PRESENT IN EUROPE.
THE EUROPEAN UNION FAILED TO TAKE THE SAME PRECAUTIONS AND RESTRICT TRAVEL FROM CHINA AND OTHER HOTSPOTS. AS A RESULT, A LARGE NUMBER OF NEW CLUSTERS IN THE UNITED STATES WERE STARTED BY TRAVELERS FROM EUROPE. AFTER CONSULTING WITH OUR TOP GOVERNMENT HEALTH OFFICIALS, I’VE DECIDED TO TAKE SEVERAL STRONG, BUT NECESSARY, ACTIONS TO PROTECT THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF ALL AMERICANS. TO KEEP NEW CASES FROM ENTERING OUR SHORES, WE WILL BE SUSPENDING ALL TRAVEL FROM EUROPE TO THE UNITED STATES FOR THE NEXT 30 DAYS. THE NEW RULES WILL GO INTO EFFECT FRIDAY AT MIDNIGHT. THESE RESTRICTIONS WILL BE ADJUSTED SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND. THERE WILL BE EXCEPTIONS FOR AMERICANS WHO HAVE UNDERGONE APPROPRIATE SCREENINGS AND THESE PROHIBITIONS WILL NOT ONLY APPLY TO THE TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TRADE AND CARGO, BUT TO VARIOUS OTHER THINGS AS WE GET APPROVAL. ANYTHING COMING FROM EUROPE TO THE UNITED STATES IS WHAT WE ARE DISCUSSING. THESE RESTRICTIONS WILL ALSO NOT APPLY TO THE UNITED KINGDOM. AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE MONITORING THE SITUATION IN CHINA AND SOUTH KOREA. AS THEIR SITUATION IMPROVES, WE WILL REEVALUATE THE RESTRICTIONS AND WARNINGS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN PLACE FOR A POSSIBLE EARLY OPENING.
EARLIER THIS WEEK, I MET WITH THE LEADERS OF HEALTH INSURANCE INDUSTRY WHO HAVE AGREED TO WAIVE ALL CO-PAYMENTS FOR CORONAVIRUS TREATMENTS, EXTEND INSURANCE COVERAGE TO THESE TREATMENTS, AND TO PREVENT SURPRISE MEDICAL BILLING. WE ARE CUTTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF RED TAPE TO MAKE ANTIVIRAL THERAPIES AVAILABLE IN RECORD TIME. THESE TREATMENTS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE IMPACT AND REACH OF THE VIRUS.
ADDITIONALLY, I SIGNED INTO LAW AN $8.3 BILLION FUNDING BILL TO HELP CDC AND OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES FIGHT THE VIRUS AND SUPPORT VACCINES, TREATMENTS, AND DISTRIBUTION OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES. TESTING AND TESTING CAPABILITIES ARE EXPANDING RAPIDLY. DAY BY DAY WE ARE MOVING VERY QUICKLY. FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS, THE RISK IS VERY, VERY LOW. YOUNG AND HEALTHY PEOPLE CAN EXPECT TO RECOVER FULLY AND QUICKLY IF THEY SHOULD GET THE VIRUS. THE HIGHEST RISK IS FOR ELDERLY POPULATION WITH UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS. THE ELDERLY POPULATION MUST BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL. WE ARE ADVISING THAT NURSING HOMES FOR THE ELDERLY SUSPEND ALL MEDICALLY UNNECESSARY VISITS. IN GENERAL, OLDER AMERICANS SHOULD AVOID NONESSENTIAL TRAVEL IN CROWDED AREAS.
MY ADMINISTRATION IS COOPERATING DIRECTLY WITH COMMUNITIES WITH LARGEST OUTBREAKS AND WE HAVE ISSUED GUIDANCE ON SCHOOL CLOSURES, SOCIAL DISTANCING, AND REDUCING LARGE GATHERINGS. SMART ACTION TODAY WILL PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS TOMORROW. EVERY COMMUNITY FACES DIFFERENT RISKS AND IT IS CRITICAL FOR YOU TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES OF YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS WHO ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR FEDERAL HEALTH EXPERTS. THEY ARE THE BEST. FOR ALL AMERICANS, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT EVERYONE TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS AND PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE. EACH OF US HAS A ROLE TO PLAY IN DEFEATING THE CYRUS. WASH YOUR HANDS, CLEAN OFTEN-USED SURFACES, COVER YOUR FACE AND MOUTH IF YOU SNEEZE OR COUGH, AND IF YOU ARE SICK OR NOT FEELING WELL, STAY HOME.
TO ENSURE THAT WORKING AMERICANS IMPACTED BY THE VIRUS CAN STAY HOME WITHOUT FEAR OF FINANCIAL HARDSHIP, I WILL SOON BE TAKING EMERGENCY ACTION WHICH IS UNPRECEDENTED TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL RELIEF. THIS WILL BE TARGETED FOR WORKERS WHO ARE ILL, QUARANTINE, OR CARING FOR OTHERS DUE TO CORONAVIRUS. I WILL BE ASKING CONGRESS TO TAKE LEGISLATIVE ACTION TO EXTEND THIS RELIEF. BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMIC POLICIES THAT WE HAVE PUT INTO PLACE, OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS, WE HAVE THE GREATEST ECONOMY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD BY FAR. OUR BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ARE FULLY CAPITALIZE AND INCREDIBLY STRONG. OUR UNEMPLOYMENT IS AT A HISTORIC LOW. THIS VAST ECONOMIC PROSPERITY GIVES US FLEXIBILITY, RESERVES, AND RESOURCES TO HANDLE ANY THREAT THAT COMES OUR WAY. THIS IS NOT A FINANCIAL CRISIS. THIS IS JUST A TEMPORARY MOMENT IN TIME THAT WE WILL OVERCOME TOGETHER AS A NATION AND AS A WORLD.
HOWEVER, TO PROVIDE EXTRA SUPPORT FOR AMERICAN WORKERS, FAMILIES, AND BUSINESSES, TONIGHT I’M ANNOUNCING THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL ACTIONS: I’M INSTRUCTING THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION TO EXERCISE AVAILABLE AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE CAPITAL AND LIQUIDITY TO FIRMS AFFECTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, THEY WILL BEGIN PROVIDING ECONOMIC LOANS IN AFFECTED STATES AND TERRITORIES. THESE LOW-INTEREST LOANS WILL HELP SMALL BUSINESSES OVERCOME TEMPORARY ECONOMIC DISRUPTIONS CAUSED BY THE VIRUS. TO THIS END, I’M ASKING CONGRESS TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM BY AN ADDITIONAL $50 BILLION. USING EMERGENCY AUTHORITY, I WILL BE INSTRUCTING THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT TO DEFER TAX PAYMENTS WITHOUT INTEREST OR PENALTIES FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES NEGATIVELY IMPACTED. THIS ACTION WILL PROVIDE MORE THAN $200 BILLION OF ADDITIONAL LIQUIDITY TO THE ECONOMY. I’M CALLING ON CONGRESS TO PROVIDE AMERICANS WITH IMMEDIATE PAYROLL TAX RELIEF. HOPEFULLY, THEY WILL CONSIDER THIS VERY STRONGLY.
WE ARE AT A CRITICAL TIME IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE VIRUS. WE MADE A LIFE-SAVING MOVE WITH EARLY ACTION ON CHINA. NOW WE MUST TAKE THE SAME ACTION WITH EUROPE. WE WILL NOT DELAY. I WILL NEVER HESITATE TO TAKE ANY NECESSARY STEPS TO PROTECT THE LIVES, HEALTH, AND SAFETY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. I WILL ALWAYS PUT THE WELL-BEING OF AMERICA FIRST.
IF WE ARE VIGILANT AND WE CAN REDUCE THE CHANCE OF INFECTION, WHICH WE WILL, WE WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPEDE THE TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS. THE VIRUS WILL NOT HAVE A CHANCE AGAINST US. NO NATION IS MORE PREPARED OR MORE RESILIENT THAN THE UNITED STATES. WE HAVE THE BEST ECONOMY, THE MOST ADVANCED HEALTH CARE, AND THE MOST TALENTED DOCTORS AND BEST RESOURCES ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. WE MUST PUT POLITICS ASIDE, STOP THE PARTISANSHIP, AND UNIFY TOGETHER AS ONE NATION AND ONE FAMILY.
AS HISTORY HAS PROVEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN, AMERICANS ALWAYS RISE TO THE CHALLENGE AND OVERCOME ADVERSITY. OUR FUTURE REMAINS BRIGHTER THAN ANYONE CAN IMAGINE. ACTING WITH COMPASSION AND LOVE, WE WILL HEAL THE SICK, CARE FOR THOSE IN NEED, HELP OUR FELLOW CITIZENS, AND EMERGE FROM THIS CHALLENGE STRONGER AND MORE UNIFIED THAN EVER BEFORE.
GOD BLESS YOU AND GOD BLESS AMERICA. THANK YOU.
MacDailyNews Note: More info on the Prevention & Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) via the U.S. CDC is here. Track the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) here.
land of the free, home of the brave?
#Pandumbic
Can somebody explain why the UK is excluded when it has an open land border with the Republic of Ireland, regular train service to France, ferries to several other countries, and planes from every other country in the Schengen Zone?
Ditto for why the ban also excludes US citizens, permanent residents, and their families.
The medical community agrees that travel restrictions based on nationality, rather than assessed medical risk, are generally ineffective. The virus is already here. Italy had 20 cases two weeks ago and 10,000 now, even with the whole country shut down. Still, if travelers from Europe are assumed to be dangerous, why not all travelers?
Because countries tend to look after their own. Countries tend not to abandon their own (well, unless you count locking people into their own apartments in Wuhan as ‘abandoning’). If Americans are returning to the US from “restricted European countries,” they will be subject to mandatory enforceable quarantine immediately upon arrival. That is the “price” they will pay for returning to the USA. In related news, a Taiwanese citizen returned from abroad and was immediately quarantined. He skipped out and was caught the next day trying to exit the country. He was fined NTD1,000,000 (about USD 33,000). That is the price he will pay for screwing over his countrymen. It is gonna take tough measures to beat this virus. We will all pay a price in the end. We all hope the reward is continued health, happiness and prosperity for all.
Except if it’s the UK. Then travel without restrictions is A-OK. Because golf.
My major concern was why the UK was excluded. That did not appear to make sense. Madrid played Liverpool in soccer last night. Tens of thousands of fans were crowded into the same stadium. This morning, they all awoke in Liverpool to find that the Spaniards are barred from the US, but the Brits aren’t.
The ban applies to the entire Schengen Zone, so some non-EU countries like Norway are barred, while some EU countries like Ireland are not. What’s the difference?
Perhaps the real question is, “Where does the Trump Organization own golf courses?”
No, I can’t other than to suggest it might be…because golf courses!
It’s also a case of horse/bolted/stable door.
There are only stark choices left.
We are now in the stumbling around phase, trying to plug the holes in a sieve, wasting time.
If they – all governments that is, don’t take drastic and unprecedented action for a period of 4(minimum)months to kill off the virus, much as they did wit SARS, then we are heading, I fear, for another endemic virus that will kill tens of millions worldwide in addition to those we already have to cope with.
What would that mean?
Possibly curtailing all international trade, travel…put simply, everything bar food supplies, medicines and essential services. Only that might give us a chance.
As I type this, I can hear howls of derision and protest, I even surprise myself, but if a worldwide ‘holiday’ could be agreed, and since the damage has already been done, we would essentially time-shift the difficult economic consequences to a time when we are better able to deal with them.
Did I say stark choices?
Here in the UK, we, my company and many I speak to in the engineering sector, are busy rescheduling both production and deliveries. We are up front in declaring our policy should or more likely’when’ the worst happens, that normal business will not be possible. We urge all our clients to arrange long term financial deferment with their banks. We have already had to change production to cover fixed clause penalties, an area not yet covered by our government in. As I previously stated, if there is no agreement to defer legal penalty clauses, many many smbs will go to the wall and the jobs with them.
As for the speech? Trump just seems tone deaf, distant and confused. The words were there but sans sincerity and gravitas.
“ACTING WITH COMPASSION AND LOVE, WE WILL HEAL THE SICK, CARE FOR THOSE IN NEED, HELP OUR FELLOW CITIZENS, AND EMERGE FROM THIS CHALLENGE STRONGER AND MORE UNIFIED THAN EVER BEFORE.” is almost more irony than I can bear.
Duh. #Brexit
Are you under the impression that any fewer people were traveling between the British Isles and the Continent after Brexit than before?
Up until Covid-19, traffic was up seasonly, many want to have an continental ‘top up’ before we cut ourselves adrift.
Lose the ALL CAPS! Sheesh.
All caps! That’s how you know it is from the president.
Now if we only had a magic marker font.
@Just the obfuscation, the president did not type his speech in ALL CAPS.
Get a grip, FACTLESS… 🤣
Goeb the broken clock is correct again — because The Donald cannot type!
He wears reader glasses in private and all his speeches are written in bold, all caps.
He can, apparently, use a MacBook.
https://gizmodo.com/heres-a-rare-photo-of-donald-trump-using-a-computer-1789448238
I said he did not write in all caps, his team is responsible. So much kerfuffle over an innocuous personal preference. I hope to have half his stamina and drive when I reach his age.
Get a life, HATERS…
Actually, most TelePrompter text is in all caps. The Whire House May have wished to release the transcript as quickly as possible, so they just released the text the President was reading without converting it back into upper and lower case. Alternatively, the text above may have come from television closed captions, which are also generally all caps.
Actually, if this really is just a posting of the teleprompter transcript, the author(s) should be resoundly berated for so many grammar and other errors. Did none of President Trump’s speach writers take an English class?
“Transcript via uncorrected Closed Captioning.”
“Transcript via uncorrected Closed Captioning.”
Raw Closed Captioning is always ALL CAPS.
Sheesh, you TDS sufferers need help.
That’s not universally true. US closed captioning has traditionally been caps, but outside the USA, proper grammatical capitalization is much more frequently used.
Regardless, we do know that Trump — though he tries to hide it — needs visual assistance. Just about everything he personally writes is in all caps, and his teleprompter is in ridiculously oversized font, all caps.
By the way, nobody is criticizing Trump for losing vision at his age. It’s just sad that he has so many lemmings bending over backwards to defend the facade of him being in his youthful prime, while attacking Biden for the same issues. They are both dinosaurs.
First Whatever may have to show up with a photoshopped pic of the Orange Chosen One to keep the propaganda fest rolling. Because that’s “real”. When the evil MSM shows an actual pic of the real president with anything less than complete fawning praise, that’s “fake”.
TV producer: we get it that MDN is too lazy to make editorial corrections to the stuff it posts. But if the Apple geniuses here are so smart, why can’t we have closed captioning free of errors? Technical limitation or are we just being cheap using antique CC systems?
For the record, I would never think to criticize anyone giving a public address for using a teleprompter or for needing big fonts. Don set himself up for criticism years ago by doing that very thing. As his on-camera performances become more erratic, he’s going to deserve the payback. Sorry but you get back what you dish out.
April 15 2020, I don’t have to pay taxes, just like Trump…
If what you say is true, not voting either way, guess that happens when President Trump declines a half million salary per year and returns money to the taxpayers.
Wondering if Trump is the FIRST president to do so and should be applauded repeatedly!
Oh wait, sorry, I am expecting a fair assessment from the 24/7/365 TRUMP TAKEDOWN MEDIA… 🤣
Still trotting out that canard, Goeb??? If he took a salary, he would have to declare it on his taxes, which at the current time are cloaked in self-employment voodoo. His lawyers advised him to not take the salary. Objective assessments of the POTUS’ emoluments have shown exactly how he can afford to not take the money. As you well know, there has never been a Trump charity. That tax evasion ploy was uncovered and Trump had to pay fines for that charade. You can stop attempting to defend the indefensible now.
Possibly the best part of the con artist’s comments last night was this:
“We’re having to fix a problem that four weeks ago nobody ever thought would be a problem.”
That shows that he didn’t listen to the CDC or any other health experts for weeks as the virus spread got rolling. As supposed leader of the free world, this guy has the cowardly tendency to deny reality, and when that is no longer possible, he hides in his private bunker and tells everyone that more walls are needed. Somebody else will pay for them.
Two sentences in your post, stopped reading, because quick to read THE GREAT ORANGE ONE gets under your skin, day after day.
Guess you are too stupid to figure out by now Trump supporters could not care less about your opinions and long ago stopped reading…
Mike is right. you’re just too proud to be ignorant
Those trump reporters are going to have some reconciling to do, when someone they know does of Coronavirus.
And yes, that includes you GoeB.