Trump considering some domestic air travel restrictions

The idea of shutting down domestic air travel in an effort to curb the virus' spread has popped up over the past few weeks but never come to fruition.

By ANTHONY ADRAGNA and SAM MINTZ
04/01/2020 08:05 PM EDT

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he’s “certainly looking at” potentially restricting air travel between some U.S. cities, especially those with significant numbers of coronavirus cases, but conceded that would create yet more pain for the already-hobbled airline sector.

The idea of potentially shutting down domestic air travel in an effort to curb the virus' spread has repeatedly popped up over the past few weeks but never come to fruition, even as the U.S. has restricted international air travel.

“It's a very, very rough decision,” Trump said Wednesday evening at a press briefing. “We are thinking about hot spots where you go from spot to spot — both hot. We will let you know fairly soon.”

Asked during the same briefing if he was considering a broader ban or more targeted restrictions, Trump said: “We're looking at the whole thing,” and suggested the administration would offer recommendations soon.

Trump’s comments come after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally, tweeted late Tuesday that it is “time to consider limiting or banning domestic and international air travel for next 30 days.”

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