[249] Thirty-day travel banned from Europe to U.S.A.

Travel News

Thirty-day travel ban from Europe to U.S.A.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ban on travel to the U.S. from most European countries, starting on March 13th. He referred to the COVID-19 outbreak as “a foreign virus.” He said that “To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days.” At the same time he said that the blanket restrictions will “not apply to the United Kingdom.” One day later, he said the restrictions did apply to the U.K. and also Ireland. He told the American people “The virus will not have a chance against us.”
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has placed himself in self-quarantine, after his wife tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Trudeau’s wife Gregoire Trudeau said “Although I’m experiencing uncomfortable symptoms of the virus, I will be back on my feet soon.”

MEMO
blanket restriction: 包括的な規制
get back on (one’s) feet: 立ち直る

This Week’s Natural Phrase

an open question

Paulina: I have tickets for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games this summer, but I am worried about the Coronavirus measures. Do you think the Olympic Games will be cancelled?

Jen:  That’s an open question! Many sporting events have been cancelled or postponed, but the Olympics only happen once every four years. I don’t think anyone has an answer to that question yet. Let’s keep up with the news reports into the summer.

The phrase “open question means the question does not have an answer, or the problem will not be solved quickly.

MEMO
open question:  未決問題

This Week’s Medical Phrase

asymptomatic

Doctor Rodriguez: You have tested positive for COVID-19. I’m afraid that you will have to stay under quarantine for at least 14 days.
Brian: What? But I don’t even feel sick. I only have a slight fever.

Doctor Rodriguez: Some people can be asymptomatic. They carry the virus, but they don’t show any symptoms. You might feel fine now, but perhaps you will feel ill after a couple of weeks.

Explanation: The term “asymptomatic” is an adjective that means a person does not show any negative symptoms of an illness. The prefix “a–” means a lack of a condition, such as ‘anesthetic’ (no feeling); anemic (no blood/low blood); analgesic (no pain/low pain); asystolic (no heart function).

MEMO
asymptomatic: 症状の・症候性

This Week’s Business/Email Phrase

at the last minute

We were supposed to leave home early in the morning to catch the flight to the conference in Houston, but the entire conference was cancelled at the last minute.  Now I’m not sure if I can get a full refund on my flight ticket.

Explanation:  The term “at the last minute” means that something happened just before the event was supposed to start. It means just one minute before the event starts, but also means that it was cancelled very late.

MEMO
last minute:  瀬戸際になって・どたん場で