BOSTON (WHDH) - BOSTON (WHDH) – After President Trump announced Wednesday night that he is sharply restricting passenger travel from 26 European nations to the United States for 30 days due to the coronavirus outbreak, passengers at Boston’s Logan Airport were left confused about what the ban means for their trips abroad.
“After consulting with our top government health professionals,” Trump told the nation, “I have decided to take several strong but necessary actions to protect the health and well-being of all Americans. To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days.”
Passengers said they only had a few minutes to make a decision without all of the information as the president addressed the nation.
“It was on TV and there wasn’t actually any reports on it yet. So they were like, ‘Alright, this is your last chance. Either get off the plane or your stuck, get off the plane or your stuck,'” traveler Rob Lumbra told 7NEWS.
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The Department of Homeland Security sent out some additional information following the president’s announcement, clarifying that the ban does not apply to legal, permanent residents or immediate family members of American citizens.
It also does not apply to travelers coming from the United Kingdom.
Some travelers got off their flights or even chose to skip them altogether rather than risk getting stuck.
“Waiting in the lounge, we heard the announcement that all flights from Europe are banned for the next 30 days,” traveler Sam Coplon said. “It’s fortunate we weren’t in the air.”
Tim Gould said he and his family were in the gate when they heard the news and they decided it just was not worth the risk.
Other passengers said they were left in the lurch by officials who knew just as little as they did.
The Massachusetts Port Authority says it is working to better comprehend the new restrictions that have been put in place.
In a statement, MassPort said, “We are evaluating what the announcement of travel restrictions from Europe means for Boston Logan International Airport. We are working closely with our federal and airline partners to understand the implications and we will share more information as it becomes available.”
Americans are also being asked not to travel to China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan.
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