US President Donald Trump announced a shock 30-day ban on travel from mainland Europe over the spiralling coronavirus pandemic that has sparked unprecedented lockdowns, widespread panic and another financial market meltdown on Thursday.
Trump’s unexpected move in a primetime TV address from the Oval Office pummelled stock markets, as traders fretted about the economic impact of the outbreak that is on a seemingly relentless march across the planet.
The World Health Organization also sounded another global alarm bell on Wednesday, officially classifying as a pandemic the virus that has infected more than 124,000 people with 4,500 deaths, according to an AFP tally.
“This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history,” Trump said, after the president had been criticised for his response so far.
Trump’s ban affects travellers from Europe — but not Britain — as the continent grapples with a burgeoning crisis.
Hardest-hit country Italy on Wednesday clocked more than 2,300 new cases over the previous 24 hours and infections in Spain jumped by a quarter to more than 2,100.
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In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel quoted experts saying that “60-70 percent of the population will be infected if the situation” continues without a vaccine in sight.
Italy is in the grip of a lockdown never before seen in peacetime, shutting all stores except pharmacies and food shops in a move that has emptied world-famous tourist sites in Rome, Venice and Florence.
“I can’t even recognise Rome now,” 30-year-old Muscovite Yekaterina said while posing alone for a photo by the usually bustling Trevi Fountain in the heart of Rome.
People in Italy have been told to keep at least a metre (three feet) from each other and handshakes are frowned upon. Italians have found themselves starting to talk to each other a few steps apart — while often laughing about the regulations along the way.
“As soon as the emergency has passed, we will organise a free carbonara day for doctors, nurses and healthcare workers,” said a closing note by a restaurant in Rome’s popular Trastevere neighbourhood.
