From BBC

The US is to extend its European coronavirus travel ban to include the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The ban will begin at midnight EST on Monday (04:00 GMT Tuesday), Vice-President Mike Pence announced.

President Trump’s travel ban on 26 European countries, members of the Schengen free movement zone, came into force on Saturday.

Mr Pence also announced that free coronavirus testing would be provided for every American.

Speaking at the same news conference, President Trump said he had been tested himself and expected to get the results in the next 48 hours.

The US has confirmed 51 deaths linked to the pandemic and 2,488 infections.

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More than 132,500 people have been diagnosed in 123 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It says Europe is now the epicentre for the virus, which originated in China.

Following Italy’s lead, Spain is poised to declare a 15-day national lockdown on Monday to battle the virus.

How is the US travel ban being extended?

As of Saturday morning, the US had already suspended travel for 30 days from 26 Schengen countries – 22 European Union members and four non-EU.

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

The travel ban was met with anger and confusion in the EU, with leaders accusing President Trump of making the decision “without consultation”.

The UK and Ireland had been exempt but Mr Trump said on Saturday: “They’ve had a little bit of activity, unfortunately.”

The total number of confirmed cases in the UK has reached 1,140, with 21 deaths – up from 11 on Friday.

Mr Pence explained that American citizens and legal residents could still return.

Such people would be “funnelled through specific airports and processed”, he said.

For more on this story and video go to: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51891662