The administration’s announcement followed a similar ban that the president articulated Wednesday regarding travel between the United States and Europe. He said only that the ban would be in effect for 30 days, that “there will be exemptions for Americans who have undergone appropriate screenings,” and that the ban would not apply to trade and cargo. "These restrictions will also not apply to the United Kingdom," Trump said. "At the same time, we are monitoring the situation in China and the South Korea, and as their situation improves, we will reevaluate the restrictions and warnings that are currently in place for a possible early opening." In his announcement, Trump made no mention of what would happen to Americans already in Europe.

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So as is often the case when a head of state neglects to address such a basic worry, many people panicked at the implication they could be stuck in Europe. They flooded airline websites and phone systems, rushed to secure last-minute flights, and in some cases, paid as much as $20,000 for flights to return home. It’s only later that Trump clarified that the ban wouldn’t apply to Americans already in Europe who were planning to return home. So as quickly as Americans rushed to swap tickets, they bombarded airlines with requests to reverse the hefty purchases when they learned of the corrected information.

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The situation didn’t exactly inspire confidence in the president in the face of a pandemic with at least 2,815 cases in 49 states. In fact, Americans and local leaders have been looking for coronavirus solutions of their own in the absence of federal guidance, according to The Washington Post. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop told the newspaper he's reached out to state officials for guidance and instead only got unfulfilled promises, not to mention a hollow speech from Trump Wednesday. “There was very little in that speech that was useful to me,” he told a reporter. “I didn’t just want advice; I wanted clear directives.” It’s only in the last few days that Trump has even addressed the coronavirus as a major issue in the United States, The New York Times reported. “We don’t want everybody taking this test. It’s totally unnecessary,” he said earlier.

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“This will pass, this will pass through, and we will be even stronger for it,” he added. Trump sang a different tune Saturday, days after the World Health Organization described the virus as a pandemic. He attempted to ease the minds of Americans Saturday by highlighting $8.3 billion in funding Congress passed to combat the virus and more than $50 billion made available in disaster relief funds when he declared a national emergency Friday. The deal, which Republicans tried their best to sabotage, includes as many as three months of paid family and medical leave, two weeks of paid sick leave, free virus testing for the uninsured, food aid, more unemployment benefits, and federal funds for Medicaid, according to The New York Times.

“If you are sick, stay home,” Pence said Saturday. “You’re not going to miss a pay check.” “But that’s simply not true,” The New York Times editorial board wrote in an op-ed. “Sick workers should stay home, but there is no guarantee in the emergency legislation that most of them will get paid. The bill promises sick leave for only about 20 percent of workers, and guess who advocated for that limitation? The White House and Republicans in Congress, the newspaper reported. ”I don’t support U.S. taxpayer money subsidizing corporations to provide benefits to workers that they should already be providing,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted. “House Democrats will continue to prioritize strong emergency leave policies as we fight to put #FamiliesFirst”

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