Coronavirus: Trump may add Britain to ban on travellers from Europe

WASHINGTON • US President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency over the fast-spreading coronavirus, opening the door to provide what he said was about US$50 billion (S$70.8 billion) in federal aid to fight the disease.

Hours after the announcement, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a coronavirus aid package that would provide free testing and paid sick leave.

Mr Trump said he was also considering adding Britain to a ban on travellers from Europe, as London has warned that the outbreak may have infected up to 10,000 people there.

The President is battling to show Americans he is aggressively addressing the crisis, after earlier criticism that he had been slow to react and had downplayed the threat.

Last Friday, he cautioned that Americans will have to make sacrifices and change their daily practices, a stark difference from two weeks ago when he said people should use common sense but otherwise not change their routines.

"It could get worse. The next eight weeks will be critical," he said.

Mr Trump acknowledged that he expected to be tested for the virus. The 73-year-old recently came into contact with a Brazilian official who later tested positive for it.

"Most likely, yeah, most likely. Not for that reason but because I think I will do it anyway... Fairly soon," he said, adding that he had no symptoms of infection.

He said Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon had agreed to set up drive-through testing at store carparks across the country, and that Alphabet's Google would create a website to help determine if individuals needed a coronavirus test.

Mr Trump, who has ordered citizens from 26 European nations not to enter the United States for 30 days from last Friday, said his administration "may be adding" travel restrictions on Britain and a couple of other countries.

As for whether Americans should take commercial flights, Mr Trump was blunt: "If you stay home, it's not bad. It's not bad."

The virus that emerged in China last December has spread to more than 140 countries and territories and infected over 149,000 people. It has led to at least 49 deaths in the US.

The head of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention testified last Thursday that US public health officials discussed coronavirus information in classified rooms on occasions "too numerous to count", though he said the information was not treated as classified.

The testimony came after critics hammered the Trump administration for what they saw as a delayed response to the outbreak. State and local officials have also complained of being kept in the dark about essential federal response information.

Last Friday, Mr Trump said the national emergency will "unleash the full power of the federal government" to help states and territories in the fight.

"Through a very collective action and shared sacrifice, national determination, we will overcome the threat of the virus," he said, urging every state to set up emergency centres to help fight the disease.

"We'll remove or eliminate every obstacle necessary to deliver our people the care that they need and that they are entitled to. No resource will be spared."

The President also said the federal government was partnering with the private sector to accelerate production of test kits to make them more widely available. About five million will be available soon, he said, but "we don't want everyone running out and taking (the test) - only if you have certain symptoms".

Alongside Mr Trump was Dr Anthony Fauci from the National Institutes of Health, who offered a cautious outlook for what may unfold in the short term.

"We still have a long way to go. There will be many more cases. But we'll take care of that," said Dr Fauci. "What's going on here today is going to help it end sooner than it would have."

REUTERS