CDC to travelers: Avoid all nonessential travel to China due to coronavirus outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. State Department late Monday expanded their travel advisories to cover all of China due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The CDC issued a level 3 travel warning, its highest level, recommending travelers avoid all nonessential travel to China. Previously only Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, was at a Level 3. The rest of China was rated Level 2, which recommends “practice enhanced precautions.”
“The outbreak is growing and there is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas,” the CDC said in a post on Twitter.
The only other country with a CDC Level 3 warning is Venezuela due to shortages of food, water, electricity, medicine and medical supplies.
Separately Monday, the U.S. State Department issued a level 3 alert for China, urging U.S. citizens to “reconsider” travel to China. Last week, it issued a level 4 alert, its highest, for Wuhan. A level 4 means “Do not travel.”
The State Department said anyone who has to visit China should avoid animals (alive or dead) and animal markets, avoid contact with sick people and wash hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds.
Private companies are also giving warnings to employees. Facebook on Monday restricted employee travel to China.
U.S. airlines serving China had already put waivers in place for travelers who don’t want to travel to destinations including Beijing and Shanghai amid the outbreak, allowing them to postpone or cancel plans without the usual penalty. And they have been expanding the covered dates of travel as the outbreak expands.
It is unclear how the broader warnings will affect their operations, including flights.
CDC officials had strongly suggested in a briefing with reporters on Monday that changes were coming given the rapidly evolving situation.
“I expect that in the coming days our travel recommendations will change,” said Dr. Nancy Nancy Messonnier, director of the agency’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
China’s confirmed cases have ballooned to more than 2,800 since the coronavirus was discovered last month. The epicenter of the outbreak is Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, but more than 40 cases have been confirmed in a dozen other countries, including five in the U.S.
In China, the government extended its Lunar New Year holiday period by three days, until Sunday, to ease crowds as tens of millions of Chinese return home from visiting family and tourist sites. At least 17 Chinese cities have imposed lockdowns affecting 50 million people.
There are growing concerns about the travel and tourism impact from the outbreak. In addition to airlines including American, Delta and United, hotels, tourist attractions and other businesses rely on travel between the U.S. and China.
