by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:31 AM ET, Tue January 28, 2020
The growing coronavirus outbreak in China has resulted in the United States adding medical screenings to 20 additional airports across the country.
According to The Washington Post, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) increased its travel warning to Level 3 on Monday and has started adding employees to airports with quarantine facilities to screen nearly all passengers traveling from China.
CDC officials are warning travelers to "avoid all nonessential travel to China."
Travelers arriving on flights from the Hubei province have been rerouted to five airports with the proper screening equipment, but the CDC announced it would expand to 20 facilities in the coming days.
"On arrival to the United States, travelers from China may be asked questions to determine if they need to undergo health screening," a CDC spokesperson said in a statement. "Travelers with signs and symptoms of illness (fever, cough, or difficulty breathing) will have an additional health assessment."
One of the major concerns for health officials in the U.S. now is an infected person could reportedly transmit the coronavirus before symptoms appear, according to China health minister Ma Xiaowei.
As a result, the CDC is considering all health screening options as it looks to avoid a viral outbreak in America. So far, five cases have been reported in the U.S., with another 110 people possibly infected across 26 states.
The virus has killed 80 people in China and infected thousands more, with the government quarantining whole regions to avoid a potentially devastating widespread outbreak.
The coronavirus outbreak has caused several airlines in the U.S. to issue travel advisories for passengers flying to airports in Wuhan, Beijing and Shanghai, including American, Delta and United. Change fees will be waived through March.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
