Americans in Europe?

[AMG]

Anyone from U.S. in europe right now ? All travel suspended for 30 days starting friday.

 

[James]

@Pat AKA mustski - France; @scott43 - Ireland
Realize that it’s 3-4 am where they are.

 

[AMG]

It seems permanent residents will be allowed back in.

 

[James]

But quarantined?

 

[AMG]

Not sure. You would think so, otherwise what is the point.

 

[tch]

Hold on....Trump (once again) did not speak clearly. Not clear he got the message right. The exemptions for Americans in Europe appear to be less restrictive than he originally said.
Keep on watching this sh*tshow as it evolves.

 

[skibum4ever]

They now are saying that the ban applies to foreign nationals not US citizens.

 

[noncrazycanuck]

citizens have the right to enter their own country,
non citizens may be permitted access.
as per most international regs.

 

[James]

I forgot, @scott43 is Canadian and not flying back to the US. Does this mean we won’t allow him to drive in from Canada?

 

[jmeb]

I know a number of folks over there at the moment for a ski meetup.

Question is: even if American's are allowed back, how will they get back? Most flights being canceled.

 

[Ski&ride]

Most, but not all.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

We are flying home Sunday as scheduled - assuming our flight is not cancelled. I could not get through to Lufthansa on the phone. They basically had a recorded message saying they were overwhelmed with calls and then just disconnected. My understanding is that they will be screening us upon return. I’m not sure if that’s a temperature check or a test. Given the shortage of tests, I expect a temp screening.

 

[AMG]

If you are canadian and had just visited Europe, perhaps they won't let you in the U.S.
When I went to j peak on monday, the border agent asked me if I was in china or Iran recently. I wasnt and he laughed, but that makes me wonder about something else.

Doesnt your passport leave a digital trace of where you've been recently. I would think the border agent would know where I've been. But if that was the case... would they ask. Does anyone know if they can track your movements through your passport ?

On another note, if u.s. citizens can get back to the u.s. from europe, then the whole idea of restricting travel from europe seems a bit pointless. I mean anyone can carry this virus and not have symptoms. Nobody without symptoms will get tested. I guess it will slow the spread a little but it's hard to measure if this is worth it.

 

[jmeb]

then the whole idea of restricting travel from europe seems a bit pointless.

From an epidemiological perspective, yes it isn't ideal. It slows but does not stop the flow.

From a political perspective, saying citizens cannot return to their home country is a quagmire.

 

[sparty]

Doesnt your passport leave a digital trace of where you've been recently. I would think the border agent would know where I've been. But if that was the case... would they ask. Does anyone know if they can track your movements through your passport ?

I don't know what they share internationally in terms of entry/exit tracking, but I can guarantee you that they will sometimes ask questions that they already have answers for.

On another note, if u.s. citizens can get back to the u.s. from europe, then the whole idea of restricting travel from europe seems a bit pointless. I mean anyone can carry this virus and not have symptoms. Nobody without symptoms will get tested. I guess it will slow the spread a little but it's hard to measure if this is worth it.

Some of the credible discussion recently has been about the importance of slowing the spread, rather than trying to stop it, so that the peak demand on hospital beds (and especially ICU beds and ventilators) is spread out more and we face fewer situations where the need overwhelms locally available resources and doctors have to make hard decisions about who gets those available resources. From that standpoint, reducing the number of travelers seems useful, if not ideal.