The coronavirus: Trump bans all travel to Europe for a month from tomorrow excluding the UK
In a televised statement from the Oval Office on the coronavirus crisis Trump has annouced that a ban on flights between the US and Europe from tomorrow. There is just one exception – the UK.
According to the New York Times this was one of a number of “strong but necessary” actions designed to impede what he described as “horrible infection”. This was a “foreign virus” that had been “seeded” in the US because the EU had “failed to take precautions” such as banning flights from China.
In recent days Trump has come under increasing attack for not taking the outbteak seriously and he has seen his personal approval ratings edge downward. This is, of course, a presidential election year with voting due to take place in November.
In the betting Trump chances of being re-elected have just slipped below 50% on Betfair with Joe Biden at 44%.
The impact of the flight ban will surely be to divert a huge amount of traffic via the UK.