The White House has postponed the April state visit of the king and queen of Spain as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic.
“In order for the United States and Spain to continue to devote their full resources and attention to the COVID-19 response, the April 21, 2020, White House State Visit by Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain has been postponed,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement Wednesday morning.
Grisham said President Trump and first lady Melania Trump “look forward to welcoming Their Majesties to the United States and the White House in the near future,” indicating the visit, which was announced in February, would likely be rescheduled.
“The United States will continue to work with Spain and all of our European partners to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Grisham added.
More than 13,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Spain, and Trump moved last week to restrict travel from most of Europe in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. The president limited travel from Spain and other countries that comprise the Schengen Area, as well as from the United Kingdom and Ireland, for 30 days.
As of Tuesday evening, the virus had spread to all 50 states in the U.S. and Washington, D.C., and the domestic death toll reached 100.
The White House on Monday canceled the annual Easter Egg Roll due to the coronavirus outbreak and last week postponed a presidential trip to Nevada and Colorado out of an abundance of caution.
Trump on Monday urged Americans to avoid restaurants, bars and other public spaces, limit gatherings to 10 people and avoid unnecessary travel for the next 15 days as his administration looks to mitigate the spread of the virus throughout the country.