The U.S. State Department has issued a level 4 warning that states: Do not travel to Hubei province, China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China. It adds, “There is an ongoing outbreak of pneumonia first identified in Wuhan, China, caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. In an effort to contain the novel coronavirus, the Chinese authorities have suspended air and rail travel in the area around Wuhan. China is building a 1000 bed hospital in a “matter of days” to take care of the victims as can be read about in Vice:
“Authorities in Wuhan began building a 1,000-bed hospital to deal with the coronavirus outbreak on Thursday night, and they say it will be finished in just six days. The rapid construction project is a reaction to the unraveling situation in the central Chinese city, which has been closed off from the outside to try to contain the spread. Hospitals are running out of beds and medical supplies, while patients presenting with coronavirus symptoms have been turned away. The situation has led to growing criticism for the slow reaction to the crisis by authorities in Wuhan and in Beijing.”
-Vice.com
On January 23, 2020, the Department of State ordered the departure of all non-emergency U.S. personnel and their family members. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Hubei province.” The Hubei province is a landlocked province in Central China. The provincial capital is Wuhan, a major transportation thoroughfare and the political, cultural, and economic hub of Central China.
According to an article published by the New York Times, “Nationwide, more than 400 new cases of the virus were diagnosed, officials said early Saturday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in China to nearly 1,300. On Thursday morning, the authorities imposed a travel lockdown in Wuhan, and airlines canceled hundreds of flights to the city, leaving thousands of people stranded.” Read more information about the details of how Chinese officials are handling the crisis here.
As a result of this outbreak, Disneyland in Shanghai, McDonald’s in Wuhan has shut down temporarily. According to an article published by the Wall Street Journal, “McDonald’s Corp. said it has closed stores in Wuhan, the central China city where the virus originated, and surrounding cities that have suspended local public transportation due to the outbreak. The McDonald’s spokesman said the company is providing hand sanitizer in restaurants, increasing disinfection of areas with frequent customer contact, requiring delivery drivers to wear masks, and measuring temperatures of store crews upon arriving to work to monitor for fevers.” Also, mentioned in the article is that McDonald’s had 2,902 stores in China during its latest quarter, making it one of the company’s largest foreign markets.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a section of their website that includes information on coronaviruses. It says, “Common human coronaviruses, including types 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1, usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. Most people get infected with these viruses at some point in their lives. These illnesses usually only last for a short amount of time. Symptoms may include runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, fever, and a general feeling of being unwell.”
Additionally, the CDC says, “Human coronaviruses can sometimes cause lower-respiratory tract illnesses, such as pneumonia or bronchitis. This is more common in people with cardiopulmonary disease, people with weakened immune systems, infants, and older adults.”
Government officials have commented on the crisis, such as Vice President Mike Pence and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley. Pence tweeted this afternoon that he received a briefing from the Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Dr. Nancy Messonnier who is the CDC Vaccine Expert. View the tweet below:
Received a very informative briefing from @SecAzar and @DrNancyM_CDC on how well prepared the US is to combat the Coronavirus. Travelers should heed @CDCgov’s warnings and advisories.
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 25, 2020
Senator Hawley (R-MO) has sent a letter to the cabinet secretaries of the Departments of State, Transportation, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services about “when and how the Administration might consider restricting travel to the United States from affected regions of China.”
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