Trump Place travel ban Europe as coronavirus infections surge

US President Donald Trump addresses the Nation from the Oval Office about the widening novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis

US President Donald Trump announced a 30-day ban on travelers from mainland Europe Wednesday as the continent reeled from the rapid spread of a coronavirus pandemic that has emptied streets, shuttered shops and disrupted travel for millions.

The edict came amid signs of a widening European crisis, as Italy clocked more than 2,300 new cases in 24 hours and infections in Spain jumped by a quarter to more than 2,100.

Ireland, Albania, Belgium, Sweden and Bulgaria registered their first deaths Wednesday, bringing Europe's total to 930, from more than 22,000 infections.

World map showing countries with no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus as of March 11, 2020


"This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history," Trump said in a primetime television address from the Oval Office -- his latest attempt to counter criticism of his response so far.

The president said the ban would come into effect from "midnight Friday" but would not affect travelers from Britain, which recently left the European Union, to Trump's great approval.

Trump briefly caused alarm as he announced that the "tremendous amount of trade and cargo" from Europe would also be banned, forcing officials to clarify that the measures would apply only to humans, not goods or cargo.

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