The United States became the first country to issue a ‘do-not-travel’ advisory for China on Thursday in view of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed upwards of 170 people in China and infected more than 8,200.
“Do not travel to China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China,” the US state department said in a statement, issuing a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory.
This dire travel advisory came after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first case here of a human-to-human transfer of the virus, from an Illinois state woman who had travelled to Wuhan, the epicenter of the Chinese outbreak, to her husband.
There have been six cases of coronavirus infection in the United States thus far, but no deaths.
Citing the January 30 WHO declaration of the outbreak as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”, the state department said, “Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice. Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended routes to and from China.”
It added, “Those currently in China should consider departing using commercial means. The Department of State has requested that all non-essential US government personnel defer travel to China in light of the novel coronavirus.”
The United States was also the first to start evacuating its citizens from Wuhan earlier this month, triggering similar actions by other nations, including India.
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