U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the U.S response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic during an address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 11, 2020. Doug Mills/Pool via REUTERS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump announced several measures on Wednesday evening to combat the spread of the coronavirus within the United States and limit its economic impact on Americans.
Below is a summary of the measures.
TRAVEL
The United States will suspend all travel from Europe to the United States for 30 days starting on Friday, Trump said, adding there will be exemptions for Americans who have undergone screenings. Trump said the travel restrictions do not apply to the United Kingdom.
He said in a tweet that trade will not be affected by the travel curbs, apparently rolling back on comments he made in a speech earlier in the evening. “The restriction stops people not goods,” he said in the tweet.
TAXES
Trump said he was instructing the Treasury Department to defer tax payments without interest or penalties for certain individuals and businesses negatively impacted, saying it would provide more than $200 billion of additional liquidity to the economy.
LOANS
Trump said he was ordering the Small Business Administration to provide capital and liquidity to firms affected by the coronavirus by providing low-interest loans to small businesses in affected states and territories, effective immediately.
Reporting by Alexandra Alper, Makini Brice, Eric Beech; Editing by Himani Sarkar