Federal officials are asking Americans to prepare for "severe" disruptions to their daily lives as they prepare for the likelihood that a novel coronavirus will begin spreading in the U.S.

Officials had previously warned that the virus – which has infected more than 80,000 people and killed about 2,700 internationally, mostly in mainland China – may eventually spread in communities in the U.S. Now, they say, it appears all but certain, and people should begin preparing for serious measures aimed at containing the virus.

"It's not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen, and how many people in this country will have severe illness," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Tuesday on a call with reporters.

Escalated concern over the virus is driven by its community spread in countries such as Iran, Japan and Italy in recent days. As of Tuesday morning, there were 57 confirmed cases in the U.S. – including 40 among people who were evacuated from a cruise ship that had been quarantined in Japan – and three among people repatriated from Hubei, the Chinese province at the center of the outbreak.

"We have very few cases in the United States, and no spread in the community," Messonnier said. "But as more and more countries experience community spread, successful containment at our borders becomes harder and harder."

The CDC is advising families, schools, businesses and health care providers to prepare for "community mitigation" strategies that limit face-to-face contact in the event the virus does begin spreading locally.

Businesses, for example, could ask employees to work remotely, and hospitals could delay elective surgeries. Schools could split up students into smaller groups or, in severe cases, close.

"We're asking folks in every sector, as well as people within their families, to start planning for this because … we want to make sure that the American public is prepared," Messonnier said.

The CDC's comments came hours after President Donald Trump's administration requested $2.5 billion – including $1.25 billion in new funding – from Congress to fight the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. and help other countries.