Stephan: Forty percent of Americans have never been outside the boundaries of the United States and don't hold passports. Thirteen percent report they have never been aboard a plane. Eleven percent have never been outside of their home state. So maybe that is why this is not a bigger story. But isn't it ironic? A president who does not understand the importance of immigrants to American history and culture, and who has made blocking entrance into the United States a leitmotif of his administration. And the social outcome? Because of his incompetence in handling the Covid-19 pandemic it is we, Americans, who have become the pariahs, blocked from entry into countries we want to enter. It's like a story from Greek mythology.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the United States, Americans have joined the ranks of people whose passports are viewed with suspicion by the rest of the world. Credit: Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Americans used to have one of the most prized passports in the world, considered a golden ticket to wealth, travel and opportunity.
With an American passport in your bag, you could arrive at the doors of 185 countries and get visa-free entry. No big questions — just business or pleasure?
But with the onset of COVID-19, Americans are limited to just 28 countries, mostly in the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. That number drops if you exclude countries that require a two-week quarantine, such as the the United Kingdom or South Korea.
On July 18, the European Union renewed its recommendation that U.S. residents be banned from entry to any member-states. The same day, Canada confirmed the U.S. border would remain closed to non-essential travel for another month.
More than 3.5 million U.S. residents have caught COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and by […]
“It’s like story from Greek mythology.” Whew.