Travel restrictions multiply to contain spread of virus
BEIJING — The U.S. has advised against all travel to China as the number of cases of a worrying new virus spiked more than tenfold in a week, including the highest death toll in a 24hour period on Saturday.
The virus has infected almost 12,000 people globally in just two months, a troublesome sign of its spread that prompted the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak a global emergency. The death toll stood at 259, including 43 new fatalities on Friday and 46 more on Saturday, all in China.
The United States on Friday declared a public health emergency because of the virus. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar also announced that President Trump will temporarily bar entry to the U.S. of foreign nationals believed to be a risk of transmitting the virus.
The State Department’s level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory, the highest grade of warning, told Americans in China to consider departing using commercial means.
“Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice,” the advisory said.
Hours later, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines announced they were suspending all flights between the U.S. and China, joining several international carriers that have stopped flying to China as the virus outbreak continues to spread. United Airlines announced that it will suspend flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu but continue flights to Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, U.S. health officials issued a twoweek quarantine order for the 195 Americans evacuated earlier this week from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. It was the first time a federal quarantine has been ordered since the 1960s, when one was enacted over concern about potential spread of smallpox, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
“We understand this action may seem drastic. We would rather be remembered for overreacting than underreacting,” the CDC’s Dr. Nancy Messonnier said. None of the Americans being housed at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside has shown signs of illness.
The vast majority of the China cases are in Hubei province and its provincial capital, Wuhan, where the first illnesses were detected in December.
China has placed more than 50 million people in the region under virtual quarantine, while foreign countries, companies and airlines have cut back severely on travel to China and quarantined those who recently passed through Wuhan. Infected people don’t show symptoms immediately and may be able to pass on the virus before they appear sick.
Since China informed WHO about the new virus in late December, at least 23 countries have reported cases.