US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has urged Americans not to worry about the fast-spreading coronavirus and continue to fly on domestic airline routes.

He added that he would fly home to Los Angeles if he wasn’t so busy.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he said that the Trump administration was ready to provide liquidity to airlines hit hard by travel restrictions and cancellations in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Mnuchin said that he is in close touch with the chief executives of US airlines and the administration viewed the ability of airlines to continue to fly as a top priority.

“I think the airlines want to make sure that they can continue to provide domestic travel. They also want to make sure that they keep as many workers employed as they can,” he said.

“If I weren’t so busy working I would be going home to Los Angeles and I would be perfectly comfortable getting on a commercial plane this weekend. Despite the fact that we told people to shut down travel a little bit, people can travel in the domestic US,” he said.

Mr Mnuchin's comments come just a day after a passenger flew from New York's JFK International Airport to Palm Beach in Florida, knowing he was unwell, only to receive a text message confirming he had the coronavirus during the flight.

The passenger has been banned by JetBlue, who operated the flight.

“Last night’s event put our crewmembers, customers, and federal and local officials in an unsettling situation that could have easily been avoided, and as such, this customer will not be permitted to fly on JetBlue in the future,” the airline said on Friday.

NBC News reports that passengers on the plane were held on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport for two hours before they were eventually released and told to monitor themselves for any symptoms.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that airlines could collapse if the coronavirus crisis lasted another two or three months.

IATA Chief Alexandre de Juniac told Reuters that revenue losses internationally would be “probably above” the $113bn figure the group had forecast a week ago, before the Trump administration’s announcement of US travel curbs on much of continental Europe.

The Europe travel ban is causing a headache for airlines and travellers alike, as the number of passengers rebooking and cancelling travel plans overwhelms systems.

Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Show all 11 1 /11 Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Ben Gurion International airport, Israel Empty El Al Israel Airlines check-in counters are seen at Ben Gurion International airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel February 27, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen AMIR COHEN Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing This picture taken on February 14, 2020 shows two men wearing face masks walking through a nearly empty terminal at Daxing international airport in Beijing, as travel has ground to a halt in the wake of the the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images) NICOLAS ASFOURI AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan epa08238057 The empty departure hall of the No 2 Terminal at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, northen Taiwan, 22 February 2020. The coronavirus causing COVID-19 disease which originated from Wuhan, China, has devastated Taiwan's tourism and aviation industries, forcing airlines to cancel flights and travel agencies to lay off workers or close. EPA/DAVID CHANG DAVID CHANG EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam A woman walks in the nearly empty arrival hall of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on February 27, 2020, as the number of air travellers has plummeted amid fears over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images) MLADEN ANTONOV AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo A man wearing protective face mask, following the outbreak of the coronavirus, pushes his luggage past desks, closed for construction, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov STOYAN NENOV Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Changsha Huanghua International Airport, China A woman wearing a face mask stands in the empty luggage collection hall at the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter THOMAS PETER Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China epaselect epa08194188 A passenger wearing a protective mask stands in the empty hall of Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China, 04 February 2020 (issued 05 February 2020). Major global airlines have canceled their flights to mainland China to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has so far killed at least 493 people and infected more that 24,000, mostly in China. EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY ROMAN PILIPEY EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing This picture taken on February 14, 2020 shows a salesclerk wearing a protective face mask and gloves (R) at an empty duty free shop at Daxing international airport in Beijing, as travel has ground to a halt in the wake of the the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images) NICOLAS ASFOURI AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo An empty departures gate is pictured at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov STOYAN NENOV Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China epa08194181 Passengers wearing protective masks sit in the empty hall of Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China, 04 February 2020 (issued 05 February 2020). Major global airlines have canceled their flights to and from mainland China to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has so far killed at least 493 people and infected more that 24,000, mostly in China. EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY ROMAN PILIPEY EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam Passengers with protective facemasks walk with their luggage in the empty arrival hall of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on February 27, 2020, as the number of air travellers has plummeted amid fears over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images) MLADEN ANTONOV AFP via Getty

In addition, airlines have had to completely revise their schedules.

American Airlines will reduce international capacity for the summer season by 34 per cent, including a 50 per cent reduction in April transatlantic capacity. Flights to and from Europe will continue to operate for up to seven days to ensure customers and employees can return home. There will also be a reduced service to South America, including a suspension of flights to Argentina.

Delta Air Lines will suspend flights to continental Europe from Minneapolis, Portland, Indianapolis, Orlando, Raleigh, and Salt Lake City — these cities connect to Delta's European hubs in Paris and Amsterdam.

United Airlines is cagier about which routes would be suspended, but told Business Insider that it wants to maintain daily service to as many UK, Ireland, and continental European destinations as possible. It will continue to serve London with 18 daily flights.