Coronavirus travel ban explained: Who can come, who can go, and how long will Trump's restrictions last?

What you need to know about the European travel ban

President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that travel from Europe would be banned for the next 30 days to stymie the spread of coronavirus has caused panic and confusion for some individuals with loved ones outside the country or who depend on travel for work.

Following his address, Mr Trump and White House officials took to Twitter to explain what exactly Mr Trump meant and to try to quell concerns raised by the announcement.

Here’s how the travel ban will work, who can get into the country, and what people should expect over the next 30 days regarding travel to and from Europe.

First, the ban will begin at midnight on Friday 13 March. Time zone and nuances regarding time disparities - such as whether the time refers to departures or arrivals - are still unknown.

US citizens and legal permanent residents (and their immediate family members) are not banned from returning, but may be redirected to one of a dozen or so airports where screening protocols are in place to test incoming travellers for signs of coronavirus.

Travellers showing symptoms will receive treatment and, if necessary, be ordered to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine.

The ban will apply to foreign nationals who’ve visited countries in the Schengen Area during the last 14 days. The Schengen Area is an open-border region mutually agreed to by 26 European countries.

The affected countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

So, simply put, any foreign nationals who are trying to enter the US if they’ve been in the above countries in the last 14 days will be prohibited from entry.

Both the United Kingdom and Ireland were exempted from the ban.

Though the ban is set to last for 30 days, there is the potential for an extension should the White House deem it necessary.

Americans with plans to travel to Europe are still able to go, though the coronavirus has been declared a global pandemic and the US Department of State has advised against travel abroad.

European Union leaders expressed disapproval at Mr Trump’s decision to cancel travel without discussing it with representatives from the affected countries.

“The EU disapproves of the fact that the US decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation,” heads of the EU said in a statement. “The coronavirus is a global crisis and requires cooperation.”

The announcement not only blindsided the EU, it took travellers by surprise as well.

New York Times reporter Mike McIntire reported chaos following the announcement at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, where he claimed Americans were doling out as much as $20,000 for last-minute flights back to the US.

USA Today reported that university students participating in study abroad initiatives were also scrambling to find flights home after Mr Trump’s announcement.

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Haley Ohlund, a 20-year-old George Washington University student travelling to Copenhagen after her study abroad program in Florence was cancelled, said she watched as airline ticket prices skyrocketed before her eyes.

“When I went to book it was $340 and it ended up being well over $1,000, 10 minutes after. As I was clicking to book it just kept jumping up,” she said.

Beyond the chaos and financial burden the ban has caused, some question whether it will even be effective. The ban has been criticised for being too little, too late by some public health experts.

“Travel from highly functioning health systems like Switzerland [are] banned, but not weak systems like Russia or Africa,” Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University told NPR. “People are no safer in the US than many places banned.”

Mr Gostin characterised the ban as “incoherent” and pointed out that the policy contradicts recommendations from the World Health Organisation and other international agencies.