I've been reading a lot of bad information and fears on the posts regarding the new ban. I'm going to try to qualify some of it from what I have read. I will add and update.
Why the ban only from Schengen countries? In Europe, the largest number of cases are from Schengen countries. Much of this may be because of the free flow of people as in no border checks. Other countries put health checks in place a lot quicker.
Why didn't Trump say Schengen instead of Europe? Trump was speaking to the masses. Most have never heard of Schengen and would not know what it is. Even news reports are explaining what it is.
Who can enter the U.S.? American citizens, their family members, legal foreign nationals (green card holders), their families, anyone doing official business with the U.S. or the U.N., and a few others. (In this thread these will be referred to as the "allowed group" for brevity purposes.) These people will have to go through extra health screenings before getting on the plane. It is against the law to deny entry into the U.S. to an American citizen but you can delay entry for health reasons. The administration also doesn't want the negative publicity it had when they evacuated Americans out of China. Americans could go but not their non-American spouses or children. I will also bet that when arriving in the U.S. you will be asked where you have been and it will show on your passport. You may be asked to go through extra screening. Again, he didn't go into details because he was making a speech to the masses. This foreign travel will not have an effect on most.
Can't residents of Schengen countries just fly to a non-Schengen country to get to the U.S.? No, the new rule says anyone outside of the "allowed group" cannot have been in a Schengen country for 14 days prior to your entrance into the U.S.
Will there be more empty flights? Airlines were flying "ghost flights" because the FAA had a rule that if an airline didn't use its landing slots at airports at least 80% of the time, they could be lost. The FAA has temporarilly rescinded that rule. Additionally, just as Americans will want to come home, Europeans will want to go home as well. There will be flights but only from selected airports.
What is the timeframe of the new rules? The new rules go into effect at 11:59 PM ET on Friday and will stay in place for 30 days. They can be extended or revised.
UPDATE: Is anyone with a Schengen country passport banned? No. it doesn't matter what passport you hold. If you are not one in the "allowed group" and have been in a Schengen country in the previous 14 days from your arrival date in the U.S., you will not be allowed. A French citizen with a French passport who has been in Ireland for three weeks can travel to the U.S. A Japanese citizen who holds a Japanese passport but has been in Germany the last week, can't. (I'm just using these nationalities as a contrast of Schengen country vs non-Schengen country. I'm not picking on them.)
Update 3/13/2020 3:30 PM--All passengers returning from Schengen to the US must enter through one of the following airports: Atlanta (ATL), Dallas (DFW), Detroit, Newark, Honolulu, NY (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Chicago (ORD), Seattle, Washington Dulles (IAD), Boston, and Miami.
Update 3/14/4:15 PM ET--The United Kingdom an Ireland have been added to the banned countries list. All non Americans who have been in the UK or Ireland at any time within 14 days of their arrival in the U.S. may not enter. Goods/Cargo may still enter from all parts of E
I am doing my best to keep politics out of this. I'm referring back to my days as a true journalist where I give facts and not opinions.
Let's keep politics and personal opinions and beliefs off this thread. Please only post legitimate news from reliable sources.