WASHINGTON/SEATTLE, March 11 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump ordered the suspension of European travel to the United States for 30 days to help curb the spread of a coronavirus pandemic that has disrupted nearly all corners of U.S. daily life, from education to sports and entertainment.
Trump, whose administration has come under sharp criticism for its response to the public health crisis, also announced several steps aimed at blunting economic fallout posed by coronavirus.
“We are marshaling the full power of the federal government and the private sector to protect the American people,” Trump said in a prime-time televised address from the Oval Office. “This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history.”
Trump, whose re-election bid on Nov. 3 could hinge on how well he responds to the crisis, stopped short of declaring a national emergency as the number of coronavirus infections continued to mount.
In the hard-hit Seattle area, the largest public school district in Washington state announced a two-week closure.
The unprecedented shutdown coincided with Washington state Governor Jay Inslee banning public gatherings of more than 250 people in the Seattle region.
The greater Seattle area is the epicenter of the deadliest, and one of the largest, clusters of coronavirus infections in the United States, accounting for the bulk of at least 37 people killed in the country by the highly contagious respiratory illness, also known as COVID-19.
The outbreak took a major toll on U.S. sports as the National Basketball Association said it was suspending the season until further notice after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus.
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) said earlier on Wednesday that its wildly popular “March Madness” basketball tournament games would be played in arenas without fans.
Late-night television was taking a hit as well, with at least two shows produced in New York City - NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” - planning to begin taping without a live studio audience for the first time, Hollywood trade publication Variety reported.
