by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:19 AM ET, Mon February 3, 2020
United States President Donald Trump announced new restrictions Sunday on travel to and from China as the coronavirus outbreak continues to kill hundreds of people.
According to the Department of Homeland Security's official website, the U.S. government has barred entry to foreign nationals who recently visited China and started rerouting all incoming flights and American passengers onboard through one of eight approved airports.
In addition, travelers who visited China within the last 14 days will have to visit an approved health screening facility. Officials said three more airports designated for screening would be added Monday.
The approved airports can be found in Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Newark, Honolulu, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
The U.S. offered China "tremendous help" in dealing with the outbreak, according to President Trump, but China has yet to accept the aid. Trump followed it up by saying, "We can't have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem - the coronavirus."
Several major airlines including American and Delta have issued travel alerts regarding the government-imposed restrictions. Carriers are stressing that foreign nationals who visited China within the past two weeks and are denied entry to the country of destination will not be permitted back into the United States.
Airlines serving China who had yet to temporarily suspend flights did so following the announcement of the new restrictions. Impacted travelers can receive re-accommodation to flights after April 30, a seat on another airline's route, a refund or additional options.
Carriers in mainland China are also canceling flights to the U.S., as the New York Post is reporting China Eastern Airlines suspended service from Shanghai to New York, Los Angeles and other U.S. cities.
Last week, the U.S. Department of State raised its travel advisory for China to Level 4 and issued a "do not travel" warning. The decision came after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global emergency.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also announced the first confirmed human-to-human transmission of the virus in the country. The Chicago woman reportedly gave the illness to her husband after returning from a trip to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak.
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