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April 22, 2020

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Trump calls for ban on immigration to US

US President Donald Trump vowed to temporarily ban immigration to the United States to combat the “invisible enemy” of coronavirus as countries across Europe and beyond — joined in the US by a cascade of states — moved to gradually reopen.

“In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!” Trump tweeted late on Monday.

He offered no details about which immigration programs might be affected by the order.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a statement echoing Trump’s past comments about immigration. She provided no details on what the executive order would entail. “At a time when Americans are looking to get back to work, action is necessary,” she said.

National security adviser Robert O’Brien earlier yesterday cast the president’s announcement as a move to protect the American people’s health. O’Brien said the temporary immigration halt would not be “dissimilar” to limits on travel to the US from China that Trump put in place in January.

Due to the pandemic, almost all visa processing by the State Department, including immigrant visas, has been suspended for weeks.

In just four months, the novel coronavirus has touched almost every nation on the planet, keeping billions of people at home and claiming more than 170,000 lives.

The US is the host of the world’s deadliest outbreak, with more than 42,000 deaths and nearly 800,000 infections nationwide.

In Europe, several countries are cautiously creeping out from confinement, buoyed by signs the worst of the virus may be behind them. Denmark, Austria, Spain and Germany began allowing some people back to work, including hairdressers, dentists and construction workers.

Spain will begin allowing children out of their homes for brief periods next Monday. Denmark announced plans to reopen Tivoli Gardens, the Copenhagen amusement park that inspired Walt Disney, on May 11.

In Austria, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said all shops will reopen at the beginning of May and restaurants in mid-May. He said the government will review the situation at two-week intervals, and will “pull the emergency brake if that is necessary.”

The World Health Organization warned yesterday that any lifting of lockdowns to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus must be gradual, and if restrictions were to be relaxed too soon, there would be a resurgence of infections.

Lockdown measures have proved effective, and people must be ready for a new way of living to allow society to function while the coronavirus is being kept in check, said Takeshi Kasai, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. We must adapt our lives and health systems along with the epidemic, Kasai told an online press conference.

“At least until a vaccine, or a very effective treatment, is found, this process will need to become our new normal.”

Large gatherings appear to be out of the question for the forseeable future.

Spain canceled its running of the bulls in Pamplona in July. The US canceled the Scripps National Spelling Bee, set for early June. And Germany called off the world-famous Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, which draws about 6 million visitors each year in the fall.

Germany, which has been praised for its widespread testing for the virus, allowed small shops to reopen this week. It remains unclear when bars and restaurants will start up again.

In Italy, Premier Giuseppe Conte confirmed that businesses can start reopening on May 4 but doused any hopes of a full end to the country’s strict lockdown.

“Many citizens are tired of the efforts that have been made so far and would like a significant loosening of these measures, or even their total abolition,” Conte said on Facebook. “A decision of that kind would be irresponsible.”

In the UK, lawmakers were encouraged to attend parliament via video link for the first time, following an extended Easter break.


 

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