[The Hill] European Union leaders condemned President Trump’s decision to impose a 30-day ban on travel from Europe in response to the coronavirus outbreak, saying they were not consulted."The European Union disapproves of the fact that the U.S. decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation," European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement, The Associated Press reported.
"The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action," they added, rejecting the president’s claim that the EU had taken insufficient action on the virus and saying it "is taking strong action to limit the spread of the virus."
The travel ban announced by the White House does not apply to the United Kingdom or Ireland, the latter of which is an EU state but is not part of the 26-nation Schengen area that have abolished all passport and border control restrictions at their mutual borders. Trump initially claimed the ban would apply to trade as well before the White House walked this back.
European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said the EU’s response to the move would "require... reflection," adding that the EU "isn’t in the habit of shooting from the hip."
The virus has been confirmed in all 27 EU countries, with von der Leyen this week announcing the launch of a $7.5 billion-euro response investment fund to prop up health care infrastructure as well as small businesses affected by the virus.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar previously announced travel restrictions for China, where the virus is believed to have originated, in early February, imposing mandatory quarantine on any returning U.S. citizen who was in China’s Hubei province in the preceding 14 days and denying entry to any foreign nationals who traveled in China in the preceding 14 days.