President Donald Trump on Wednesday suspended travel from Europe to the United States for 30 days in a �tough� new effort to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has sparked a run on the stock market and is rapidly multiplying.
The ban will not include travelers from the United Kingdom, which recently left the European Union, Trump said.
In a primetime address from the Oval Office to a worried nation, Trump sought to rebuff critics who say his leadership has been lacking during the crisis, insisting that �the virus will not have a chance.�
�This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history,� he said.
He announced a series of measures designed to ease the financial burden for people having to take weeks off from work while on quarantine.
But his most far-reaching announcement was the halt on European travel.
Trump said this would go into effect from �midnight Friday.�
�I�m confident that by� continuing to take these tough measures we will significantly reduce the threat to our citizens and we�ll ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus,� he said.
Trump called on elderly people to avoid non-essential travel within the United States. Shortly after, the White House said Trump, 73, would be canceling a trip to Nevada and Colorado on Thursday out of �caution.�