President Trump’s prime-time announcement of a sweeping ban on travel from Europe due to the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday continued to reverberate Thursday.
The European Union blasted Trump for acting “unilaterally” to impose the 30-day suspension of travel from Europe, beginning on Friday at midnight.
Vice President Mike Pence, who’s heading up the White House coronavirus task force, said Americans returning home from Europe will undergo screening at 13 airports and will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
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Here’s what else we learned today:
Broadway goes dark:
- Broadway will shut down tonight until April 12 as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 500 people in the state and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency.
- Several other prestigious Big Apple institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, are also closing.
Time out for sports:
- The NCAA tournament for men’s and women’s basketball has been canceled.
- The MLB has scrapped the rest of spring training and is delaying the start of the regular season by at least two weeks.
- The NHL suspended its season.
Stocks take a tumble:
- The Dow Jones industrial average fell by almost 10 percent — its biggest decline since the stock market crash of 1987.
World leaders get woozy:
- Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is isolating himself after his wife started exhibiting symptoms.
- Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro is being tested for the coronavirus, while his communications secretary — who came in contact with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend — has tested positive.
Travel gets grounded:
- The drop in business for US airline industry amid the coronavirus outbreak “is probably worse” than after 9/11, JetBlue’s CEO said.
- Princess Cruises will suspend all trips worldwide due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile…
- Colin Hanks is “confident” his father Tom Hanks and stepmom Rita Wilson will recover. They announced their diagnosis late Wednesday from Australia.
- Here’s how the super rich are dealing: bunker mentality and fleeing for the Hamptons.
- And a breath of hope: A woman who survived a mild case of coronavirus opened up about her experience, including her early symptoms and recovery. US health authorities say 80% of cases have been mild.
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