Washington (CNN) The Trump administration has canceled plans to bring coronavirus patients to an Alabama city after pushback from local and state officials.

The move comes amid concern about novel coronavirus cases in the United States and growing fears of a global pandemic. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday there were 53 confirmed cases of the virus in the US. The Department of Health and Human Services was evaluating the possibility of using a Federal Emergency Management Agency Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama, as a backup location for Americans infected by the virus.

During a press conference in Anniston on Monday morning, local and state officials said they were left in the dark about the federal government's plan to house coronavirus patients in the city.

"None of us at the city, the county or any of the people who you see up here today had any really advanced knowledge of this," Anniston Mayor Jack Draper said.

"We're simply not prepared to help our fellow citizens at this time who have been diagnosed with this disease," he continued, adding that after several meetings with HHS that he was not aware of a real plan nor of what would be expected of the local community, first responders and local health care.

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