MEGATHREAD- All USA Flights from EU banned for next 30 days

[LilyJ 1,258]

The ban is, right now, only for 30 days starting Friday. Whether they extend it will depend but they’ve also said it doesn’t effect spouses of US citizens or US permanent residents 

[The4Sands 67]

  On 3/12/2020 at 10:51 AM, Dashinka said:

Just curious, what would, have been the response if back in January all global travel was suspended?

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From the Evening Standard here in the UK (see the last para about flight bans).  Who knows if it's true, though:

 

Mr Sunak said Mr Trump’s decision to halt travel to the US from most of Europe could have a knock-on effect on the UK economy.

 

Asked about the impact on business and tourism that the ban is likely to have, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The US is still deciding the details of what exactly that means, but you are right.

“As I talked about yesterday, there will be an impact on the demand side of our economy as people are unable to spend in the way they normally would and travel, but it also affects the supply chains for businesses and that impacts the supply side of our economy.

 

“As those supply chains are disrupted, the productive capacity of our economy will shrink for a period of time.

 

“With regard to flight bans, we are always guided by the science as we make our decisions here and the advice we are getting is that there isn’t the evidence that interventions like closing borders or travel bans are going to have a material effect on the spread of the infection.”

 

[Dashinka 25,211]

  On 3/12/2020 at 11:13 AM, The4Sands said:

From the Evening Standard here in the UK (see the last para about flight bans).  Who knows if it's true, though:

 

Mr Sunak said Mr Trump’s decision to halt travel to the US from most of Europe could have a knock-on effect on the UK economy.

 

Asked about the impact on business and tourism that the ban is likely to have, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The US is still deciding the details of what exactly that means, but you are right.

“As I talked about yesterday, there will be an impact on the demand side of our economy as people are unable to spend in the way they normally would and travel, but it also affects the supply chains for businesses and that impacts the supply side of our economy.

 

“As those supply chains are disrupted, the productive capacity of our economy will shrink for a period of time.

 

“With regard to flight bans, we are always guided by the science as we make our decisions here and the advice we are getting is that there isn’t the evidence that interventions like closing borders or travel bans are going to have a material effect on the spread of the infection.”

 

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I think that is really the big issue, the fact that there is so much unknown.  Folks throw out the mortality rate, but even that is very dubious as it relies on actual known cases, and does not factor in those that may have faced little or no effects from exposure and were never tested thus greatly impacting the denominator.  It does seem clear that those with underlying serious medical conditions are most impacted which of course means the elderly mostly as we have painfully witnessed in Washington with the outbreak in the nursing facility.  As we learn more about this relatively new virus, folks will settle down IMO, but at this point, governmental leaders are in a lose-lose situation.  I am encouraged by the slowing of new cases in China, South Korea and SE Asia, if it was just the numbers coming out of China, I would be a little less so, but with the other countries reporting similarly, it is a little more credible.

[Greekwife 58]

Here is whole official text clarifying exceptions and ban: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/11/text-of-suspension-of-travel-from-europe-126706

[Frank77777 21]

Hey i have cr1 visa on passport and i am from europe my spouse is american i can travel ? 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

Things I learned watching the news last night:

 

With the open borders in Europe, it is difficult to know where travelers have been (high infection or low), hence naming the whole region vs cherry picking which countries are okay today.

 

The point is to slow the progression or flatten the curve so hospitals and health resources are not slammed all at once and can better deal with the disease with manageable numbers over time.  The US testing is not about who can pay, but slowing the influx so kits can be manufactured. The supply is limited today so screening of who most needs testing is in place, while production of kits can catch up. 
 

In my own state, the first cases (about a dozen near Houston)were directly related to people who had been on the same Nile River cruise, then one woman who flew in from Italy. Then yesterday a new case showed up in a person who had not left the state showing that it is spreading within the community so all public activities were stopped until the end of the month, including ending the world’s biggest rodeo halfway through it’s run. They don’t think it is going to eradicate the virus with bans, but hope to mitigate the spread over a longer timeline so they can deal with it without crashing resources. 
 

Things unfolded yesterday hourly. First the NBA said no spectators starting Thursday to limit people in close contact with each other. Then an NBA player tested positive right before a game in OK on Wednesday. They sent every home immediately. Then suspended the entire NBA season.
 

There are drastic and sweeping closures to slow the spread within communities and groups. It is inconveniencing lots more than visa hopefuls, but officials from cities all the way up to the president have had to make some unprecedented decisions based on advice from their medical advisors and the CDC. 

[Greekwife 58]

  On 3/12/2020 at 12:18 PM, Frank77777 said:

Hey i have cr1 visa on passport and i am from europe my spouse is american i can travel ? 

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Based on official text and exceptions I think the answer is yes.

Yet, if you have been in a European country within Schengen 14 days before attempting to enter US,I think there is some ambiguity.

This is my feeling.

I am in the same situation.I am in Greece visiting my family and want to return to US with a CR-1 Visa I have.

[JFH 12,192]

  On 3/12/2020 at 10:46 AM, Alix64 said:

that's the thing and the question : what happens once you arrive to the US, do they test you?

do you have to be kept in quarantine in a facility in the airport?

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They are fever-scanning people at the airport as they arrive. Like they did in Hong Kong during the SARS outbreak. 

[Britney868 184]

  On 3/12/2020 at 1:41 AM, maxi12 said:

except UK ?  

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I believe it’s only a matter of time before the ban is extended to the UK as well.

[Lskifghj 53]

  On 3/12/2020 at 3:56 AM, Ray.Bonaquist said:

There are exemptions for immediate family of American citizens. I imagine it means all K visa holders and people coming on spousal immigrant visas will be exempt. It’s not as bad as it sounded, at least for VJ  members. For ordinary visitors however, they’re hosed.

 

I think this is a case of closing the barn door after the horses have bolted. The virus is now predominantly being propagated by community spread among Americans. Banning foreign visitors should have happened a month ago, not now.

 

Americans and American leadership underestimated this devilish virus and initially thought it was a Chinese problem thereby squandering the two months lead time we had to prepare and block this vile thing. This has been a failure of leadership all round.

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Do parents and siblings count as immediate family too?

[Lskifghj 53]

So my parents got their green card approved but are still in Germany and not here yet. They don’t have the physical green card yet. Can they come here? Do they have to quarantine first? If so, how? At the airport??

[Orangesapples 1,954]

  On 3/12/2020 at 12:49 PM, Wuozopo said:

Things I learned watching the news last night:

 

With the open borders in Europe, it is difficult to know where travelers have been (high infection or low), hence naming the whole region vs cherry picking which countries are okay today.

 

 

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The open borders are in all of the EU, not just Schengen. 

[David & Olga 124]

  On 3/12/2020 at 11:00 AM, LilyJ said:

The ban is, right now, only for 30 days starting Friday. Whether they extend it will depend but they’ve also said it doesn’t effect spouses of US citizens or US permanent residents 

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Would holding a CR-1/IR-1 visa in your passport consider you a US Permanent Resident even before you reach the Point of Entry? 

[LilyJ 1,258]

  On 3/12/2020 at 1:27 PM, David & Olga said:

Would holding a CR-1/IR-1 visa in your passport consider you a US Permanent Resident even before you reach the Point of Entry? 

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Not sure about that but just being married to a US citizen or LPR makes you exempt from the travel restrictions, right now at least 

[PK_ 43]

  On 3/12/2020 at 1:27 PM, David & Olga said:

Would holding a CR-1/IR-1 visa in your passport consider you a US Permanent Resident even before you reach the Point of Entry? 

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You are already a spouse of a US citizen. Just the marriage certificate and the proof of your spouse's citizenship would be sufficient to get through the travel ban.