COVID-19 has made a huge impact on the world since it was first discovered in December of 2019. COVID-19 originated in the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province in China and is well known for its danger to the elderly and immune-compromised population. It has a notable fever, respiratory issues (shortness of breath leading to fluid in the lungs), and a dry cough.

Coronavirus

The virus is spread through droplets in the air. The leading cause of death from COVID-19 is pneumonia with solidation of fluid in the lungs followed by organ failure. The incubation period can be anywhere from 14-24 days, and many children have been found to be silent carriers (not actually getting sick from the virus). This is why many locations have made it mandatory to wear a face mask when entering any store or public location, and all nonessential businesses have been shut down for the foreseeable future. Researchers suspect it is most likely derived from animals and spread to people, now affecting many countries, including the US. With the death toll on the rise, the virus has caused many shutdowns and panic including racist behavior and anger towards Chinese nationals. It is even to the point of Chinese restaurants shutting down locally for fear of hate crimes stemming from this pandemic.

Travel Restrictions

Jean Danhong Chen, an immigration attorney located in San Jose, has explained that any noncitizens or people immigrating from China have been restricted from entering the US or at least put on a 14-day hold. This does not include green card holders, spouses, or immediate family members.  Most flights are suspended both too and from China. Other foreign flights are checked for infection amongst the passengers as well. In addition, some cruise lines have banned Chinese passengers from boarding their ships. The suspicion is more based on country of origin (prejudice and xenophobia) than actual symptoms.

President Trump signed an executive order that suspends immigration to the United States for 60 days. While the order doesn’t apply to immigrants already living or working in the US in order to become permanent residents. The ban will also freeze the Diversity Visa Lottery, which awards approximately 50,000 green cards per year. This will affect even legal permanent residents who are trying to bring family into the country.

Trump reasons this ban will prevent further spread of the virus and help protect American jobs, which are already limited due to the extremely high rate of unemployment due to nonessential businesses shutting down. The economy will greatly suffer due to this, and Trump has also release an April stimulus pay to many families under $75,000 per year. It is unknown if there will be a May stimulus pay as well. While the US State Department issued roughly 462,000 immigrant visas during the last year, over half will now be frozen. Trump is well-known for his push for building walls along the border of Mexico and changes to US immigration laws. This pandemic has granted him emergency authority to make these changes.