SACRAMENTO, Calif — After landing in Barcelona, Spain on Wednesday, Curtis Currier and Damian Lynch realized they needed to get on a flight back home to Sacramento as soon as possible.
Hours before they landed, President Donald Trump announced travel restrictions from Europe to the U.S., excluding only the United Kingdom — England and Ireland. The ban mostly affects foreign nationals, and not U.S. citizens across the water.
Still, Lynch and Currier said it was a must that they get back.
"Things are changing so fast right now it seems like, it didn't seem smart to stay even though they are allowing Americans back," Lynch told ABC10 in a Facetime interview from a pub in Ireland.
"Flights are disappearing in real time," Currier added.
The two Sacramento business partners said they searched for a flight out of Spain since it's one of 23 countries impacted by the travel restrictions. Their only options were layovers in Istanbul, Moscow and Dublin.
All three cities are in countries not impacted by the ban — Turkey, Russia and Ireland — so they opted for Dublin after a quick visit in Barcelona.
The two said they have seen fewer people traveling as well as precautionary signs everywhere for the coronavirus. And in Dublin, St. Patrick's Day festivities have either been postponed or canceled.
"We have wipes on deck," Lynch said, pulling out wipes from his pocket. "We are not completely careless out here."
Overall, they said they are not too concerned about contracting the virus, but understand the risk.
"My mom's husband is 65," Lynch explained. "So if i get it, and go around them, if they get sick — that's my only real worry."
Currier and Lynch will close out their night in Dublin, get on a plane to London on Friday and then back to the states on Saturday.
"Barcelona for seafood," Currier said.
"Now we're in Dublin," Lynch added.
"Ireland for beer and whiskey. Then we'll be in London in a few hours for breakfast," Currier said, laughing with Lynch.
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Madison Wade.
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