Long Islanders Scramble To Fly Home From Europe After Travel Ban

HUNTINGTON, NY — When President Trump announced a new travel ban from European Union countries to help contain the growing coronavirus pandemic during his Wednesday night prime-time speech many American travelers were caught unaware. Long Islanders who had traveled to the included countries scrambled to catch flights before the ban took effect midnight on Friday.

Kat Hankinson is a Huntington resident who was en route on a plane to France when the order was announced.

"So following experts' recommendations that it's ok to travel if you take precautions I came to France for [a] writing residency, got off the plane, and promptly found out," that travel from Europe was about to be banned. Although United States citizens are allowed to return home under the 30-day ban, Hankinson scrambled to arrange for a return flight out of fear of possibly testing positive and being quarantined away from home and her children.

Although the ban doesn't apply to American citizens, permanent legal residents and their families, initial confusion meant many Americans were frantic to fly home as soon as possible.

"My trip turned into a 36-hour tour of two airports that showed just how unprepared we are. Lines in airports are long and crowded," Hankinson said. She told Patch that there was no medical screening of passengers, just a passport check to see if she had recently traveled to China, Iran, Korea or Italy. Hankinson flew home Thursday after changing her return flight.

The initial ban excluded the United Kingdom and Ireland, but on Saturday Trump expanded the ban to include those two nations beginning Monday, March 18.