UK And Ireland Added

From the BBC:

“Coronavirus: US to extend travel ban to UK and Ireland”

ban to include the UK and Republic of Ireland. The ban will begin at midnight EST on Monday (04:00 GMT Tuesday), Vice-President Mike Pence announced. President Trump's travel ban on 26 European countries, members of the Schengen free movement zone, came into force on Saturday.  Mr Pence also announced that free coronavirus testing would be provided for every American. Speaking at the same news conference, President Trump said he had been tested himself and expected to get the results in the next 48 hours. The US has confirmed 51 deaths linked to the pandemic and 2,488 infections.  More than 132,500 people have now been diagnosed in 123 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It says Europe is now the epicentre for the virus, which originated in China.

How is the US travel ban being extended?:   As of Saturday morning, the US had already suspended travel for 30 days from 26 Schengen countries - 22 European Union members and four non-EU. They are 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 travel ban was met with anger and confusion in the EU, with leaders accusing President Trump of making the decision "without consultation". The UK and Ireland had been exempt but Mr Trump said on Saturday: "They've had a little bit of activity, unfortunately."  The total number of confirmed cases in the UK has reached 1,140, with 21 deaths - up from 11 on Friday.  Mr Pence explained that American citizens and legal residents could still return. Such people would be "funnelled through specific airports and processed", he said.

Why did Trump take a test?:   Speculation over the president's vulnerability to the virus had grown after he had interactions with least three people who later tested positive. On Saturday, the 73-year-old told reporters he had had his temperature taken before stepping into the room and it was "totally normal". The White House is now conducting temperature checks on anyone who is in close contact with the president and Mr Pence. Cost had been a concern for many ordinary Americans considering a test for coronavirus. More than 27 million people in America have no medical insurance at all, while tens of millions have basic insurance that often only covers a fraction of the cost of any check-ups or treatment. On Thursday, US lawmakers said fewer than 10,000 people had been tested in America. By contrast, South Korea, with a much smaller population, has tested more than 210,000 people, while the UK has tested more than 32,000. On Friday, Mr Trump declared a national emergency which allows the federal government to tap up to $50bn (£40bn) in relief funds.

^ Trump and his officials seem to contradict themselves every other minute. Even when he gave his National Emergency announcement yesterday (which I watched live) he flipped-flopped on many things in the same speech. He doesn’t do a very good job of reassuring the American people in this time of crisis. People want answers to help with their fears and not different people saying different things every step of the way. He was called-out on not being tested after being near someone who had Covid-19 and now he is finally getting tested (after saying he didn’t need to be.) He was asked about why the UK and Ireland weren’t included in the earlier travel ban and now he has added them. It seems he can only do things when questioned about why he didn’t do them in the first place. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51891662