ORLANDO, Fla. – President Donald Trump suspended travel for most European citizens coming to the U.S for 30 days beginning Friday as he seeks to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The ban does not doesn’t apply to U.S. citizens, green card holders or their immediate family, but airport leaders said the travel ban ordered by the president could affect 92 inbound flights at Orlando International Airport, including ones from Delta, Icelandair, Lufthansa, and Norwegian Airlines.
But that's not the only problem plaguing Orlando International Airport.
CEO of Orlando International Airport Phil Brown said airport officials are expecting Monday to be the beginning of a big drop in passengers. Brown said the lion’s share of people who pass through the airport are usually heading to theme parks, many of which recently announced plans to close until at least the end of the month.
Some travelers said they still kept their flights to Orlando but found their cruise ships or theme park plans had to be canceled. Others said they were relieved to see their scheduled trips coming to an end before many of the theme park closures went into effect.
[RELATED: Walt Disney World theme parks to close through the end of March | How to get your coronavirus questions answered]
Trump made the announcement Wednesday in an Oval Office address to the nation, blaming the European Union for not acting quickly enough to address the novel coronavirus and saying U.S. clusters were “seeded” by European travelers.
Trump says the restrictions won’t apply to the United Kingdom and the U.S. will monitor the situation to determine if travel can be reopened earlier.
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