absolutely damning article about the devastating effects of trump's european travel ban

[EleanorR]

Link to tweet

“To keep new cases from entering our shores,” Trump said in an Oval Office address on March 11, “we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days.”

Across the Atlantic, Jack Siebert, an American college student spending a semester in Spain, was battling raging headaches, shortness of breath and fevers that touched 104 degrees. Concerned about his condition for travel but alarmed by the president’s announcement, his parents scrambled to book a flight home for their son — an impulse shared by thousands of Americans who rushed to get flights out of Europe.

When he finally reached the coronavirus checkpoint near baggage pickup, Siebert reported his prior symptoms and described his exposure in Spain. But the screeners waived him through with a cursory temperature check. He was given instructions to self-isolate that struck him as absurd given the conditions he had just encountered at the airport.

The sequence was repeated at airports across the country that weekend. Harrowing scenes of interminable lines and unmasked faces crammed in confined spaces spread across social media.

The images showed how a policy intended to block the pathogen’s entry into the United States instead delivered one final viral infusion. As those exposed travelers fanned out into U.S. cities and suburbs, they became part of an influx from Europe that went unchecked for weeks and helped to seal the country’s coronavirus fate.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/one-final-viral-infusion-trumps-move-to-block-travel-from-europe-triggered-chaos-and-a-surge-of-passengers-from-the-outbreaks-center/2020/05/23/64836a00-962b-11ea-82b4-c8db161ff6e5_story.html

[jmg257]

1. Guess he should have left them there? Sounds like a cruise ship.

Silly.

[Merlot]

2. With out the ban, they wouldn't have all come back at once

Healthy and sick passengers wouldn't have been crowded together.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. A real government would have screened much better, quarantined, and followed up w tracing

Trump's ban came after the 5 lost weeks after he banned China flights but let 40,000 people in varying states of health through after.

During the 5 lost weeks tRump appointed some kind of panel. That's about it. Oh, and golf, rallies, and tweets.

[SunSeeker]

5. OFFS. No, the point was HOW Trump brought them back packed in airport hallways.

There was absolutely no attempt at safety. No temperature checks, no testing, no masks, no quarantines enforced on those who were clearly infected.

Did you read the article???

[UTUSN]

4. K&R

[Beakybird]

6. The CDC wanted a European travel ban a week earlier.

[EleanorR]

7. "Never has a less prepared set of remarks been delivered from that room,"

Kushner then gathered with senior policy adviser Stephen Miller in the latter’s office to work on a draft. The duo were joined at times by Pence and were still making edits until shortly before Trump was scheduled to go live on television at 9 p.m.

No drafts were shared in advance with members of the task force or any of the agencies that would have to carry out Trump’s decision, officials said.

But the result was a stumbling performance in which Trump struggled to follow the text on the teleprompter and committed a series of gaffes.

“Never has a less prepared set of remarks been delivered from that room,” said a former administration official.

As he spoke, passengers began rising from their seats in panic. Brandishing bulletins about the speech on their cellphones, some pushed for the exits.
“He said they’re closing the borders,” one passenger said. “I want off this plane.”

Many were U.S. citizens racing to get home before midnight March 13, when the restrictions were scheduled to take effect — unaware that they were exempt from the policy and faced no deadline. Even when given accurate details on the policy, many refused to put off their travel fearing the administration might abruptly switch course and end the exemption.

[warmfeet]

8. My wife and daughter were in Hungary in March.

They had to come home right away due to the travel ban.

When they arrived in the U.S., they were not checked for symptoms, they were not told to self quarantine, they were told nothing-at-all - a total cockup on the part of the shithole dotard maladministration.

The breadth and depth of this pandemic, in this country, lies directly at the feet of this pathetic, disgusting, incompetent maladministration.

And, and, and, we can do nothing about it, except for vote this November 3rd. Will donnie dotard ever be held to account for a single action he has ever taken? I fucking doubt it, I really fucking doubt it.

[EleanorR]

9. trump didn't even bother informing the airlines that he was going to impose the ban

Just a statement at 9pm at night and then chaos.

[Laurelin]

10. It didn't help

The ban was apparently the right thing to do, but it was late, and implemented really badly. My husband had coworkers here (in the Netherlands) and they frantically rushed home the morning after the announcement, which came in the middle of the night here. Thankfully they're all fine, but it was a bad situation. I thought about flying early to the US myself, but decided it wouldn't be wise. I'm glad I didn't.

It would have been nice, too, if the idiot had warned our allies before just springing the ban on them. I know, who am I kidding...

Our death rate here is still higher than the US, and I wish they were stricter about some things (for instance, social distancing is 1.5 m, not 2), but I feel much safer here. We flattened the curve before starting our phased reopening. I think they're being honest about the statistics. We just got caught out early, and it spread during carnival, I think.

I worry about youall. Stay safe. Remember we have to get rid of trump in November. (Incentive, just in case anyone feels like taking risks.)

[EleanorR]

11. trump failed completely-bad timing, bungled announcement, lack of coordination and implementation

And his failures made the situation here much, much worse.