Yankee Stay Home

   Europe may ban American visitors because of the increase of infections from the corona virus in the United States, just as Washington stopped travelers from China and other countries.
   The death toll from the pandemic in the U.S. has now topped 120,000 and indications are that it will continue to rise, despite claims from politicians that the disease is under control. Medical experts say otherwise.
   The European Union said it was considering the ban, which would affect only member states. Already, individual nations have limited travel, and that has succeeded in sharply reducing the number of infections. New Zealand, for example, is about to reopen to travelers because the disease there has been all but eliminated. In America, however, infections continue to rise, and health experts warn that recent political rallies in crowded arenas where attendees do not wear protective masks will bring on even more sickness and death.
   Separately, the U.S. government said it will suspend for the rest of the year all work visas, citing the economic downturn and the need to supply jobs for American workers. If the visa suspension also applies to seasonal farm workers, that means American citizens could have jobs traveling from farm to farm harvesting crops. Historically, however, the reason migrant workers from other countries take those jobs has been because many Americans don't want them.