(CNN) The US State Department on Friday raised its travel advisory for Italy to the second-highest-level warning, Level 3: Reconsider Travel, due to the novel coronavirus.

The move comes as Italy has suffered at least 650 cases and 17 deaths from the coronavirus , with the World Health Organization saying that the country, as well as Iran and South Korea, has reached a critical point in responding to the outbreak.

"Reconsider travel to Italy due to a recent outbreak of COVID-19," the advisory says. "There is an ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 caused by a novel (new) coronavirus in Italy. Many cases of COVID-19 have been associated with travel to or from mainland China or close contact with a travel-related case, but sustained community spread has been reported in Italy."

Cases of the virus in Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have all been linked to travel to Italy . The country has already taken an economic hit from the epidemic, as stadiums and museums have been much quieter than usual in light of the virus.

The additional travel restrictions come amid the administration's concerns over the disease's continued spread.

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