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COVID-19

Coronavirus: What you need to know about Trump’s Europe travel ban

US President Donald Trump has announced a travel ban from most European countries in response to the coronavirus spread.

Coronavirus: What you need to know about Trump's Europe travel ban
Donald Trump announces his Europe travel ban. AFP

The ban, which does not include the UK or Ireland, will begin at 11.59pm on Friday, March 13th and last for 30 days. It will include all countries in Europe's Schengen area.

That means all foreign nationals, unless they are exempt from the ban (see below) won't be allowed to board planes for the US from Schengen countries while the ban is in place.

The restrictions do not apply to permanent residents in the US who need to get home to the US or their close family members, although it is possible that airlines may cancel flights in the days ahead as passenger numbers fall.

The countries in the Schengen area 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.

Trump blamed EU countries for not acting quickly enough to stem the spread of the “foreign virus”. The president had previously banned travel from China when the virus was spreading rapidly through the country.

“The European Union failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hotspots. As a result a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travellers from Europe.”

At least 1,257 people in 44 states and Washington, DC have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the latest figures from the New York Times database. At least 37 patients with the virus have died.

In Europe the number of cases has passed the 22,000 mark with 930 deaths.

Trump said: “In total, as of March 9th, 2020, the Schengen Area has exported 201 COVID-19 cases to 53 countries. Moreover, the free flow of people between the Schengen Area countries makes the task of managing the spread of the virus difficult.”

What we know about who is affected by the ban and who isn't

It affects most foreign nationals who have been in Schengen area countries for 14 days before the ban comes into place at 11.59pm Friday March 13th.

It won't affect flights that depart before then but are due to land in the US after that time.

“I have determined that it is in the interests of the United States to take action to restrict and suspend the entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of all aliens who were physically present within the Schengen Area during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States,” reads the full text of the restrictions.

The restriction doesn't apply to travel from the UK or Ireland, but it was unclear how US authorities plan to deal with foreign nationals travelling from Europe to the US via those countries.

Permanent residents of the US are not affected by the ban as are certain family members such as their children. Children of US nationals or permanent residents will also be allowed entry.

Legal spouses of US citizens or permanent residents are also not affected as are parents of US citizens or permanent residents as long as their children are unmarried and under the age of 21.

Siblings of US citizens or permanent residents are also exempt, “provided that both are unmarried and under the age of 21.”

Other exceptions are made for foreign nationals including crew members on planes or boats, UN or Nato employees and those travelling on the invitation of the US government.

It also exempts “any alien whose entry would not pose a significant risk of introducing, transmitting, or spreading the virus, as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services”.

The US Department of Homeland Security has said that further guidance on the travel suspension will come within the next two days.

The declaration warns that: “An alien who circumvents the application of this proclamation through fraud, willful misrepresentation of a material fact, or illegal entry shall be a priority for removal by the Department of Homeland Security.

How has Europe reacted?

So far reaction to Trump's ban has been muted but that may change throughout the day.

President of the European Council Charles Michel tweeted “we will assess the situation today.”

“Economic disruption must be avoided. Europe is taking all necessary measures to contain the spread of the COVID19 virus, limit the number of affected people and support research.”

The World Health Organisation has previously advised against closing borders and banning international travel.

 

Member comments

  1. The restriction doesn’t apply to travel from the UK, but it was unclear how US authorities plan to deal with foreign nationals travelling from Europe to the US via the UK. EXACTLY.
    Can we spell IRRESPONBIBLE?

  2. You need to have your passport associated to your ticket days in advance of your flight to USA. When we flew back to the USA from Sweden we went from Stockholm to Denmark, thru Danish passport kontrol then to the USA so the passport had multiple stamps plus RFID so they’d know when you board the plane with final destination to USA where you came from and would probably exclude you from boarding. In the airport you were screened and kept in a separate area so they knew who was cleared to go to the USA (and this was 2016 in Copenhagen). I would not call myself a big supporter of the president, but if everyone gets sick at once, health care will be overwhelmed. We are all going to get this eventually most likely, but by delaying transfer it’ll spread out the cases.

    I can remember days when one kid got chicken pox other parents sent their kid over so they’d get it too, this isn’t like that. You don’t want this and shouldn’t circulate it.

  3. So, apparently, the Virus was introduced to America by Foreigners visiting the USA? He must mean that, as U.S. Citizens can still fly Home from the E.U.
    I wonder what would have been his reaction if the E.U. had at the get-go stopped flights to the U.S.A. so therfore stopping any US Citizens flying Home!
    Hmmmm…

  4. The US citizens or permanent residents won’t Carry or spread the virus, how does Trump know this? It’s important to come home and be with families but being safe is the most important. So why ban only Schengen Zone residents?

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FAMILY

What should you do when someone dies in Sweden?

They say nothing in life can be certain apart from death and taxes, but if there's a third certainty, it must be Swedish bureaucracy. Here's how to register a death, arrange a funeral and figure out who inherits what.

What should you do when someone dies in Sweden?

If your loved one dies unexpectedly at home or elsewhere, you should call Sweden’s emergency number 112. If their death was expected, due to illness or old age, you can call the person’s medical contact if they have one. A doctor will come to the house and confirm their death.

If the person dies in hospital or a care home a doctor will confirm their death.

The doctor will send the death certificate (dödsbevis) to Swedish authorities. As soon as the Tax Agency receives the certificate, they will register the death in the Swedish population register.

Who do I need to inform?

If the person is a foreign citizen, you need to notify the authorities in their home country. If you contact their country’s embassy in Sweden, they will be able to help you figure out the process.

You need to inform people as soon as you can, including friends, family and colleagues.

The first step after that may be to contact a funeral home (begravningsbyrå) who will be able to organise the funeral and the reading of a will, but also advise on what needs to be done next.

One of the first admin tasks is to order a so-called dödsfallsintyg (which also translates as death certificate, but is different from the one the doctor writes) from the Swedish Tax Agency. This will show the date of death and remaining family members, including spouse and children. If you choose to use the services of a funeral home, they will be able to order a dödsfallsintyg for you.

Swedish authorities run a site called Efterlevandeguiden for people who have lost a loved one. It contains among other things a checklist in English for what to do when someone dies (their guide is genuinely very helpful, so we advise having a look if you’re in this situation).

A funeral home can help you with as much as you need, but there’s usually a lot of decisions and tasks that you’re best placed to do, so it’s a good idea to get as much help as possible.

Many Swedes don’t like to intrude on other people’s business, so there is a risk you find that fewer people than you expect will reach out to you to offer to help or even send their condolences. In most cases, this is due to a (perhaps misplaced) respect for privacy rather than an unwillingness to help, but we’ve generally found that Swedes, when asked, are more keen to help than you think.

How do I organise the funeral?

Sweden allows a lot more time between the death and the burial than many other countries and cultures, with the laws stating that the burial must take place within one month of the death.

That said, the aim is always to respect the traditions and culture of the deceased person.

All residents in Sweden, including foreign citizens, pay a yearly funeral fee (begravningsavgift – it’s part of your tax statement, so chances are you’ve never noticed you’re paying it). This gives them the right to be buried or cremated in their Swedish home municipality for free.

Most cemeteries in Sweden are public spaces and are run by the Church of Sweden on behalf of the state, which means people from other religions may also be buried there. If you want the Church of Sweden to organise a funeral ceremony for you as well however, the deceased person will have had to be a member of the church in order to receive the ceremony for free.

If you want to spread the person’s ashes in a place other than a cemetery, you need to first get permission from the country administrative board (Länsstyrelsen).

Who pays for the funeral?

Some of it, such as a burial plot and a venue in which to hold a ceremony, has already been paid for through taxes, but there may be other expenses such as a fee for the funeral home, flowers, food for the funeral goers, a bespoke coffin, any music you wish to play, and so on.

A funeral usually ends up costing around 20,000-30,000 kronor, which is primarily paid for through the estate (dödsboet). If there’s not enough money, the estate can apply to the social services for financial support in order for the deceased person to receive a dignified burial.

If you want the deceased person to be buried in another country than Sweden, the transport of the coffin or urn will be paid for by the estate, but it could be expensive, so you should also check whether they had travel or home insurance which could cover the cost of transport. 

You need to request documents from the Swedish Tax Agency to transport the body from Sweden. The form is called passersedel för lik or, if the person is cremated in Sweden before their ashes are to be moved abroad, passersedel för stoft.

You also need to get the funeral home to confirm that the coffin or urn is safe for transport and contains what it is said to contain, and you need to get permission from the authorities in the other country.

How do I deal with all the admin?

Again, a funeral home can help you out, but the first step is the death certificate from the Tax Agency. This document will help you not only in organising the funeral, but also in dealing with administrative matters such as cancelling direct debits or contracts, or redirecting post.

Note that banks are automatically informed when someone dies, and then automatically block some of the services used by the deceased until the person’s will has been executed, including joint accounts. If you and your partner have joint bank accounts, it may for this reason make sense for you to also have individual accounts so that you don’t get blocked from all your accounts if your partner dies.

Any outstanding bills that still need to be paid should be paid for by the estate (if there’s money left after paying the funeral and probate costs, which are prioritised). Any debts will also be paid by the estate, or written off. You are not responsible for paying the deceased’s debts yourself.

Before all of this, a so-called bouppteckning will have to be arranged. This is the procedure for going through all of the deceased’s assets and debts. It can be done privately, or with the help of the funeral home, and needs to be submitted to the Tax Agency within four months.

Here’s a useful guide for administering the estate. 

What about inheritance?

In general, the inheritance laws of the country where the deceased lives apply.

In Sweden, if the deceased was not married, but had children, the children inherit. 

If the children are no longer alive, their children, i.e. the grandchildren of the deceased person, are next in line, followed by the great grandchildren (and so on, if they exist).

If there are no direct descendants left, inheritance passes to parents, followed by siblings, nieces or nephews, grandparents, and aunts or uncles. 

Cousins do not automatically have inheritance rights, and note that neither do sambos (co-habiting but non-married couples) unless they are listed in the deceased’s will. 

If there’s a will, it trumps the above order with one major exception: direct heirs (bröstarvingar), i.e. children, grandchildren et cetera, always have the right to half of their inheritance, the so-called legal share (laglott).

If the person was married, a division of joint assets (bodelning) first needs to be carried out to see how many of their assets belong to the estate and how many belong to the surviving spouse – unless they did not have children, in which case all their assets are automatically inherited by their spouse.

If the deceased and their spouse had children together, the spouse inherits everything and is allowed to spend the assets as they wish as long as he or she is alive. Their joint children are only entitled to their share of the inheritance – whatever is left – once both parents are dead.

If the deceased had children with someone else before they married their current spouse, those children (known as särkullbarn) have the right to get their share of the inheritance before their parent’s spouse dies. They are however free to waive this right in favour of the surviving spouse.

There’s no inheritance tax in Sweden.

The above guide tries to address some of the main matters, but barely scratches the surface. Do you have any specific questions about what to do when a loved one dies in Sweden? You’re always welcome to email our editorial team at [email protected]

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