U.S. Declares Public Health Emergency Over Coronavirus and Will Deny Entry to Foreign Nationals Who Have Been in China

The Trump Administration on Friday declared an outbreak of novel coronavirus a public health emergency in the U.S. and announced that it will temporarily deny entry to any foreign national who “poses a risk” of transmitting the virus. Specifically, the Administration will temporarily deny entry to any foreign national who has been in China, members of the Trump Administration’s Coronavirus Task Force announced Friday. The policy’s only exceptions are for immediate family of American citizens and permanent U.S. residents. Additional new temporary measures will take effect beginning Sunday at 5 p.m., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Friday. Americans returning to the U.S. who were in Hubei province — the epicenter of the outbreak — 14 days prior to returning to the country will be subject to up to 14 days of a mandatory quarantine, “to ensure they’re provided proper medical care and health screening,” Azar told reporters at a White House press briefing. Additionally, any citizens who were in mainland China 14 days prior to returning to the U.S. will be placed in a “self-imposed” quarantine for 14 days. They will also undergo a health screening at selected ports of entry upon arrival. Despite these drastic measures, Azar emphasized that risk to the American public remains low, and said these efforts are a way to keep risk low. Nearly 10,000 people have been infected by th...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized 2019-nCoV onetime Source Type: news