COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus, is being talked about wherever you look. The worldwide stats of coronavirus today stand at 134,918 confirmed cases and 4,989 deaths. Among the worst-hit countries, other than China, of course, is the US. The US has over 1,762 cases reported and around 41 casualties confirmed.
With those kinds of numbers and how fast the virus is spreading, it was only a matter of time before drastic measures were taken. One of the most recent being the travel ban that President Trump announced. But that too has elicited different reactions from citizens, media, and almost every other person involved.
Some think the ban is not helping, and others feel it was the right thing to do by the president considering the situation. More measures are expected to be taken by the Federal government to combat the situation, though.
State Of The Country
The country has seen economic impacts and even school closures due to coronavirus fears. In fact, the NBA has already been suspended as well, with more organizations expected to follow suit in trying to stop the virus from spreading. In parts of his speech, even though banning flights from Europe, President Trump aimed to assure the country that America is the most prepared country in the world to deal with the virus.
Most critics, however, thought the ban would be a blanket ban on all European travel. However, Britain was left out of that ban. The 30-day ban imposed by the government on European travel will also affect cargo. That’s despite the president’s earlier tweet where he posted that the ban would largely affect travel and not goods. In his speech, however, there were some restrictions on cargo.
One of the negative reactions that the President had concerning his ban, was from several people questioning his decision to leave out the UK from the ban. The UK has also been hit by the virus to an extent that their biggest sporting league, EPL (English Premier League) is calling off some matches. President Trump, in his speech, didn’t point out a particular reason why he left out the UK from the ban.
Another sector that didn’t go well with Trump’s move is the financial sector. The speech assured them that they wouldn’t suffer. But by the end of the speech, the tone down at Wall Street was quite a different one. Most investors are in fear of the scale of the virus and the effects it will have on the economy. Most US stocks are sharply being sold off.
Travel Ban Reactions From Trump’s Supporters
Trump’s supporters, on the other hand, see the statement as a bold move by the government to contain the widely spreading virus. It’s also seen as a decisive move, a challenge that the country needs to face up to. Trump, in his speech, termed the decision as not only comprehensive but aggressive too.
His [President Trump] detractors, however, see this a far too familiar playbook the president is using. They are looking at this as the President laying blame on others and not taking any himself. He didn’t fault the government for the fast-spreading pandemic in the US.
The nay-sayers of Trump called on the President to take up some blame, at least for the shortage of test kits. However, this is a topic that the President conveniently left out of his speech. Experts say that the real numbers and how far the virus may have spread is hard to tell due to this shortage.
Blame On Other Countries
Trump blamed China, where the virus originated from, for not dealing with it. And, on his ban of Europe, he squarely blames them for being afflicted by the virus in large part. This is seen xenophobia by most of his critics as he’s demonizing foreigners for the virus spreading in the U.S. Trump’s critics see his ‘aggressive move’ as closing the door on a stable trading partner for the US.
Bottom Line
Concerning business, the president pledged to support businesses with tax relief in efforts to assure the market. American citizens from the affected countries of the travel ban will have to self-quarantine, even after going through various screening processes at all airports. This travel ban has many mixed reactions.
