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White House adds U.K., Ireland to travel ban, hints at airline aid

A senior TSA official said Saturday that there has been a „significant“ drop in the number of both domestic and international air travelers. „This can be as much as 30 percent — some locations, higher,“ the official said.

However, the White House and airlines have been in discussions about the impact the coronavirus is having on their businesses, and what aid might be needed. Nothing has been finalized or made public, but those discussions, for now, appear to be centered around letting airlines keep some of the excise taxes passengers pay as part of the price of a ticket.

However, one of those charges typically is funneled to airports to help pay for capital improvements, and airports, themselves looking at billions in losses as travel continues to slump, are likely to fight such a change. Similarly, one of the taxes — about 7.5 percent of the cost of an airline ticket — is used to help pay to run the Federal Aviation Administration, which Congress may not endorse if it is waived for anything longer than a few months.

The European travel ban does not apply to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents or their family members, but they will be directed to one of 13 airports with enhanced screening procedures in place.

Some domestic travel restrictions may also be under consideration. When asked Saturday whether he was “considering other travel restrictions, perhaps domestically,“ President Donald Trump answered: “Specifically from certain areas, yes we are, and we’re working with the states and we’re considering other restrictions.”

On a call with reporters later Saturday, a senior DHS official said domestic travel restrictions weren’t expected „at this time.“

Though the administration has been intensely focused on reducing flights from coronavirus-exposed countries, there are indications that health screenings for international travelers arriving at U.S. airports have been spotty.

Passengers returning from coronavirus hotspots around the globe have reported that despite coming straight from countries with rampant coronavirus outbreaks, Customs and Border Protection officers and health officers in U.S. airports did not ask them questions about their travel histories, take their temperatures or check them for coronavirus symptoms.

Brianna Gurciullo contributed to this report.

Source: politico.com
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