Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please do not spread disinformation: Italy banned direct flights from China pretty quickly too. It did not matter, because patient-0 in Europe was a German. It’s now accepted that the virus arrived by crossing the Alps in some sort of Euro-business trip, not directly from China.
So banning international travel could have at least stopped it from reaching Germany. I think you are making his point while arguing on a technicality. I see no conceivable way that the economic loss of tourism or "business trips" is worse than what is about to go down in Europe.
Unless you can read minds, these things happen very quickly now that the world is a global village.