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Comment by wdb | Hacker News Reader

Why is the U.K. not included? This is so weird; it's such a mess in the UK too.

Excluding the UK hints that this is, at least in part, politically motivated. In terms of risk the UK is no different to other European countries. We are certainly not immune to coronavirus, and there are currently no restrictions on travel between the UK and the continent.

UK (and Ireland) are outside Schengen.

Even if they don't restrict it to British passport holders travelling to the USA, it's still arguably easier to screen for the virus through one departure point than, say, 30.

There are many more flights terminating in the UK than any other European country. Plus, American students studying abroad in the UK have yet to return home.

These seem like arguments for including the UK in the flight ban.

https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1237941455693533184

The travel restriction applies to foreign nationals who have been in 26 European countries with open borders agreements, in the last 14 days.

UK is not included because it has never been a part of Schengen ("26 European countries"), which is targeted for refusal to impose travel restrictions.

That is bizarre. As of today, the UK has 459 cases and the US has 1311. The UK population is approximately 20% of the US population so on a per capita basis coronavirus is more prevalent in the UK than in the US. The optics on this are horrible and will be construed as showing more of a concern with political theater than evidence based decision making.

I wonder. UK has Assange and 5G cards to play. I am willing to agree that move was more political than virus-based.

Trump likes Boris Johnson.

I’m honestly not sure there’s anything more to it than that.

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