BBC在线收听下载:欧洲多个国家开始关闭边境应对新冠病毒

Hello, this is the BBC news with Fiona MacDonald.

The travel ban President Trump has imposed on 26 European countries has come into effect in the United States. The measure imposed to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus affects countries that are members of the Schengen border free travel area and excludes among others, Britain and the Republic of Ireland as well as returning US citizens. Mr. Trump has declared a national emergency at home, releasing $50 billion to tackle the outbreak. These New Yorkers, they were skeptical about how Mr. Trump's administration had handled the coronavirus outbreak.

The federal government has botched this absolutely out of control. There's been little to no testing. They've been completely misinforming people. What you're hearing has changed from one day to the next. He doesn't believe in science for having sakes. Could I say that Trump is completely clueless? That's all about him.

Schools have been closed in more places in the United States to try to limit the spread of the virus. Los Angeles, the country's second biggest school district with three quarters of a million students, will shut all schools for two weeks from Monday. All public schools in Illinois, which includes the city of Chicago, will close from Tuesday. Several other states have already announced similar measures.

A number of European countries have announced they are closing their borders to most or all foreigners. David Bamford reports.

Despite the economic and social hit that it will bring, Denmark, Poland, Cyprus, Ukraine, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are among the latest countries to announce border closures. They will remain open for the flow of goods. In Switzerland, scarce have been given till Monday to leave.

Italy has reported a surge in the number of deaths due to the coronavirus, 250 in a single day. The WHO chief says Europe is now the center of the pandemic.

Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced the closure of all schools to slow the spread of the coronavirus just hours after he said they would stay open. Nick Thorpe reports.

On Friday morning, Viktor Orban insisted that only universities would be closed because so many foreign students attend them. This fitted with the government line since the beginning of the epidemic that it was spread by foreigners and migrants. Closing schools would mean teachers would not be paid, he warned. This prompted a furious reaction from teachers' unions and the opposition and disquiet in his own Fidesz party. Mr. Orban, who prides himself on never changing his mind once he takes a decision, then told the nation in a hastily arranged video address broadcast live on Facebook on Friday evening that all schools will in fact close from Monday for months rather than weeks. That report from Nick Thorpe.

You're listening to the BBC news from London.