US Department of State urges Americans to reconsider traveling to China

Want to travel to China? Think it over.

As of January 27, the US Department of State has increased the risk level of travel to China to a Level 3: Reconsider Travel. Hubei, China, remains a Level 4: Do Not Travel. This advisory comes on the heels of the novel coronavirus that was first discovered in Wuhan, China.

Last Friday, a second case of the virus was reported in the US, in Illinois. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), five people in the US are confirmed positive for coronavirus, while 73 cases are still pending.

The new virus is in the same family as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus that spread around the world in 2003.

The CDC reports that Chinese officials have confirmed coronavirus can be transmitted between people (as opposed to just animals to humans), but it’s not clear if it’s as deadly as the SARS virus.

If you must travel to China, the US Department of State urges travelers to avoid contact with sick people, discuss travel to China with your healthcare provider, avoid animals, animal markets, and products that come from animals, and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.

If you’ve traveled to China in the last 14 days and feel sick with a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, seek medical care right away.