<div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">United States President Donald Trump has announced sweeping travel restrictions on 26 European countries in a bid to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. The new rules will come into effect from tomorrow. The measures apply to travellers from countries that are members of the Schengen border-free travel area. The Schengen Area is an area comprising 26 European States that have officially abolished all passports and all other types of border control at their mutual borders.</span></div><span style="color: #222222;"><br />''In an address to the nation, President Trump said the strong but necessary actions would help protect Americans. Mr Trump said this is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history. Justifying the travel restrictions, he accused the EU of failing to take the same precautions as the US in fighting the virus. He said, all travel from Europe would be suspended but a Presidential proclamation later said, it would only apply to anyone who had been in the EU's Schengen border-free area in the 14 days before their arrival in the US.<br />''<br />''Mr Trump also said the suspension would also apply to cargo coming from Europe into the US.<br />''<br />''There are 1,135 confirmed cases of the virus across the US, with 38 deaths so far. Meanwhile, European Union leaders have rebuked the United States for imposing a unilateral travel ban on arrivals from countries in the Schengen passport-free zone without consulting them.<br />'' <br />''EU Presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel said, the Coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action. In a written statement the EU Presidents said, the European Union disapproves of the fact that the US decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation.</span><br />