Wuhan coronavirus: CDC warns Americans against non-essential travel to China as death toll rises
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expanded its travel warning to Level 3 — its highest — asking all Americans to avoid non-essential travel to any part of China.
Previously, only Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, was at Level 3. This means that the agency had advised travelers to avoid non-essential travel to Wuhan in Hubei province, but that did not extend to the rest of China. The rest of China was at Level 2, which recommends "practice enhanced precautions".
The CDC has issued the notice stating that there is an ongoing outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus that can be spread from person to person. The health experts, however, add that since the situation is evolving, the notice will be updated as more information becomes available.
According to the notice, Chinese officials have closed transport within and out of Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, and other locations may be affected.
"CDC recommends that travelers avoid all non-essential travel to China. In response to an outbreak of respiratory illness, Chinese officials have closed transport within and out of Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, including buses, subways, trains, and the international airport. Additional restrictions and cancellations of events may occur. There is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas," says the CDC notice issued on January 27.
Wuhan coronavirus has killed 106 so far and at least 4,500 have been sickened.
The agency cautions that older adults and people with underlying health conditions may be at increased risk for severe disease.
The CDC is closely monitoring the outbreak of respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus named 2019-nCoV. The CDC has so far confirmed that five people in the US have been diagnosed with Wuhan Coronavirus.
According to the CDC, any person who was in China in the last 14 days and feels sick with fever, cough or has difficulty breathing, must seek immediate medical care. Avoiding contact with others, and not traveling while sick are other recommendations.
"Before you go to a doctor's office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms," it says.
The US Department of State has also posted a China travel advisory on its website. It has been reissued with updates to the travel advisory level: Level 3 for China and Level 4 for Hubei province.
"The CDC has issued a Level 3 Warning: Avoid all non-essential travel to China. Chinese authorities are imposing quarantines and restricting travel throughout the country. Level 4: Do not travel to Hubei province, China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China," states the advisory.
The State Department further goes on to say that US citizens must continue to exercise increased caution in China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws and special restrictions on dual US-Chinese citizens.
The State Department emphasizes that in most cases, US citizens only become aware of the exit ban when they attempt to depart China, and there is no method to find out how long the ban may continue. US citizens under exit bans have been harassed and threatened, it adds.
"The Chinese government has asserted broad authority to prohibit US citizens from leaving China by using 'exit bans', sometimes keeping US citizens in China for years. The Chinese government uses exit bans coercively to compel US citizens to participate in Chinese government investigations, to lure individuals back to China from abroad, and to aid Chinese authorities in resolving civil disputes in favor of Chinese parties," the State Department says on its website.