As of Friday at midnight, all flights from Europe to the US will be banned for a period of 30 days. The ban will not affect freight between Europe and the US. Americans and those with a permanent residence permit will be allowed back into the US.
The ban on travel from Europe to the US is to stop the further spread of coronavirus and applies to anyone who has been to a country covered by the Schengen Treaty within 14 days before their planned departure to the US. US citizens will be allowed back into the country provided they are screened for the virus beforehand. Interestingly, the ban doe not apply to the UK, where up until now around 460 cases of coronavirus have been reported. Flights between China and the US were scrapped a while ago.
According to Trump, Europe took drastic measures to constrain the virus much too late. He stated that at the moment they are working hard to create medications and a vaccine for the virus in the US. In the US, there are more than 1.200 cases of coronavirus and 38 deaths because of the virus.
The ban on flights from Europe to the US is going to have a huge impact on Schiphol, the airport closest to Amsterdam. Airlines flying from Schiphol serve 22 destinations across the US.
Frank Oostdam, director of the Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (AVNR), says that the ban will have great consequences for the travel sector and its employees. Flights to the US are namely very important for the Dutch economy and aviation sector. KLM has already announced budget cuts to try and compensate for damages.