The continued spread of the coronavirus has caused the Trump administration to issue further travel restrictions today.
In a briefing at The White House, President Trump and Vice President Pence - put in charge earlier this week of the U.S. response team to the virus - announced that travel to Iran has been further restricted and advised American citizens to avoid certain areas in Italy and South Korea.
The State Department's decision regarding Italy and South Korea is the highest level of travel advisory that can be issued. The new restrictions come a day after the first U.S. death due to the coronavirus was reported in Washington state.
"Unfortunately one person passed away overnight. She was a wonderful woman, a medically high-risk patient in her late 50s," Trump said according to The Hill, although he misidentified the victim as a woman when in fact it was a man. "Additional cases in the United States are likely, but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover," Trump said. "If you're healthy, you will probably go through a process and you'll be fine."
Trump, who has been stung by reports regarding both his alleged inaction until formulating a response team earlier this week, as well as his perception that Democrats are using his late response as a political tool, cautioned the media and other politicians to "not do anything to incite the panic. There is no reason to panic at all. Our country is prepared for any circumstance."
Trump said he is also considering travel restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border.
"We are thinking about the southern border," Trump said at the same press conference. "We are looking at that very strongly."
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