LTU932 wrote:Actually, the Interior Minister is Horst Seehofer. Heiko Maas is the Foreign Minister.
Indeed, my bad
LTU932 wrote:As the only statement I'll do in that regard: the confinement has done me harm psychologically. And I'm not alone in that regard.

I think we'll all be glad when this is over.
LTU932 wrote:Let's not forget that the federal government has closed its borders for non-essential travel. While of course, freight is being exchanged without any major issues on air, land and sea, it's a different thing with passenger travel right now. The lockdown in LA may only have an effect on international passenger flights once non-essential travel is permitted again by the federal government.
I don't see any closed borders or even a prohibition on 'non-essential' travel from either the CDC or the State Department. I do see a Level 3 CDC advisory "recommending" to avoid it, and a State Department notice that restricts the entry of certain aliens with plenty of exceptions that "advises", "urges" and recommends that people "should" avoid international air travel. That notice then promptly switches to advice on what to do "if you decide to travel" but seems to put emphasis on "considering returning" and having a travel plan that does not rely on the U.S. government for assistance. I also don't see a precise definition of what constitutes non-essential travel. There are obvious categories when renewing passports on an emergency basis (e.g. death in the immediate family) but these aren't extended into other processes, e.g. that condition being a prerequisite to board or book a flight, cross a border, etc.
Given the sudden drop in demand, most people probably read that as if it were an order when in reality it's just a strong recommendation, but I think what really deters people from traveling internationally right now can be boiled down to two principal factors. Firstly, the need to potentially quarantine on *both* ends of the journey for up to 14 days. Most people don't take three-month trips. Secondly, most people only hold one passport, not good if the US bars EU citizens and if the EU bars US citizens. As a holder of multiple passports on both sides, that's not a problem for me or my family, but it effectively limits the amount of traffic and limits the airlines from spooling up again.
Once the CDC advisory changes, corporate travel policies will move accordingly, and many people who implemented the CDC advisory not to travel will once again take to the skies if they are confident enough.
Source CDC:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/wa ... rus-globalSource DOS:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel ... issue.htmlLAXintl wrote:As stated prior there are no restrictions on international commercial passenger arrivals at LAX.
Airlines like AF, KL, CI, BR, CA, CZ, BA, JL, NH, KE, OZ, CX, SQ, AM, Y4, etc have continued operating at LAX albeit with reduced schedules.
There is no federal ban that would bar air service into the U.S. As mentioned by Uplog we've maintained ongoing two-way passenger flights with China during the entire crisis.
Quite right, nor are there U.S. restrictions on departures. It's amazing to see that even in this situation the links between the regions were never fully severed, albeit just with one flight a day type minimal service.