This article is more than 7 months old

This article is more than 7 months old

The Trump administration has declared a public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak and announced it will temporarily bar entry to the US for people traveling from China unless they are Americans or immediately related to US citizens.

“This is a serious health situation in China, but I want to emphasize the risk to the American public currently is low,” said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Robert R Redfield, on Friday. “It is our goal to keep it that way.”

The new strain of coronavirus has spread rapidly in Hubei province, where nearly 10,000 people have been infected and more than 200 people died. Officials have confirmed six cases of coronavirus in the US, and another 121 people are being monitored for infection.

Another 132 cases of coronavirus have been detected in 23 more countries, including among 12 people who had not traveled to China.

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Under the measures announced on Friday, Americans returning from Hubei province will be subject to 14 days’ mandatory quarantine in an institutional setting upon their return, in order for health authorities to monitor them for the virus. Americans who have traveled to other parts of mainland China will be subject to home quarantine for 14 days.

The restrictions will apply to any foreign nationals not immediately related to Americans or US permanent residents, and come into effect on Sunday at 5pm ET.

“There is no travel ban,” said Joel Szabat, the assistant secretary for transportation, in response to a question from a reporter. He noted all three major air carriers had already halted flights to China in response to the epidemic.

“We have been seeing already a significant decrease in passengers going between the US and China,” said Szabat.

The US move comes a day after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a health emergency of international concern.

US authorities will also start funneling all flights from China to seven major airports – in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta and Honolulu – where travelers can be screened.

“We understand this action may seem drastic. We would rather be remembered for overreacting than underreacting,” the CDC’s Nancy Messonnier said.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said the measures were necessary because of the “unknowns” regarding the coronavirus.

Deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun said: “I want the Chinese people to know they have the deepest sympathies of the United States of America.”

The move is likely to anger Beijing, which earlier on Friday had criticized a travel warning that advised against all travel to China.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said: “The World Health Organization urged countries to avoid travel restrictions, but very soon after that, the United States did the opposite. It’s truly mean.”

The virus causes respiratory illness and pneumonia, for which there is little treatment. Antibiotics are ineffective for the disease because it is viral, rather than bacterial.

There are a range of symptoms, from mild to severe, associated with the virus. American officials said they are also concerned because the disease can be spread by people without symptoms.

Travel restrictions in the US were enacted as part of a presidential proclamation and declaration of a public health emergency.