This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/30/world/asia/Coronavirus-travel-advisory-.html
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| State Department Warns Against Traveling to China Amid Coronavirus Outbreak | State Department Warns Against Traveling to China Amid Coronavirus Outbreak |
| (4 months later) | |
| The State Department on Thursday night issued an advisory telling Americans not to travel to China because of the public health threat posed by the coronavirus, as world health officials grappled with the expanding footprint of the outbreak. | The State Department on Thursday night issued an advisory telling Americans not to travel to China because of the public health threat posed by the coronavirus, as world health officials grappled with the expanding footprint of the outbreak. |
| Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed the travel advisory on Twitter, saying that the department had raised its advisory for China to Level 4, and to red from orange — meaning do not travel there. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed the travel advisory on Twitter, saying that the department had raised its advisory for China to Level 4, and to red from orange — meaning do not travel there. |
| Mr. Pompeo cited a decision by the World Health Organization earlier Thursday to declare the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern. | Mr. Pompeo cited a decision by the World Health Organization earlier Thursday to declare the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern. |
| “Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice,” the advisory said. “Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended routes to and from China.” | “Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice,” the advisory said. “Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended routes to and from China.” |
| The State Department said Americans who were in China should consider leaving via commercial transportation. It also requested that all nonessential United States government personnel hold off on traveling to China. | The State Department said Americans who were in China should consider leaving via commercial transportation. It also requested that all nonessential United States government personnel hold off on traveling to China. |
| In China, at least 213 people had died from the virus as of early Friday, the authorities said. The total number of cases worldwide was approaching 10,000, according to Chinese and World Health Organization data. The vast majority of cases were in China. | In China, at least 213 people had died from the virus as of early Friday, the authorities said. The total number of cases worldwide was approaching 10,000, according to Chinese and World Health Organization data. The vast majority of cases were in China. |
| The warning by the State Department came on the same day that the first person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus in the United States was reported. An Illinois man had contracted the virus from his wife, who had recently visited Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. Both were hospitalized. | The warning by the State Department came on the same day that the first person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus in the United States was reported. An Illinois man had contracted the virus from his wife, who had recently visited Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. Both were hospitalized. |
| Also on Thursday, the union for 15,000 American Airlines pilots filed a lawsuit in Dallas County Court in Texas seeking a temporary restraining order to suspend flights to China. The union, the Allied Pilots Association, said that British Airways, Air Canada and Lufthansa had already suspended service to China. | Also on Thursday, the union for 15,000 American Airlines pilots filed a lawsuit in Dallas County Court in Texas seeking a temporary restraining order to suspend flights to China. The union, the Allied Pilots Association, said that British Airways, Air Canada and Lufthansa had already suspended service to China. |
| “We estimate that as many as 300 passengers and crew travel to DFW alone from Chinese cities on each American Airlines flight,” Eric Ferguson, the union’s president and a captain for American, said in a statement, referring to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the airline’s largest hub. “To us, that level of risk is unacceptable.’’ | “We estimate that as many as 300 passengers and crew travel to DFW alone from Chinese cities on each American Airlines flight,” Eric Ferguson, the union’s president and a captain for American, said in a statement, referring to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the airline’s largest hub. “To us, that level of risk is unacceptable.’’ |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | |
| The union said it had directed American Airlines pilots to decline flight assignments to China unless they were part of a return trip. It said that airline regulations required pilots to remain on the ground in China for about 32 hours so that they could get adequate rest. | The union said it had directed American Airlines pilots to decline flight assignments to China unless they were part of a return trip. It said that airline regulations required pilots to remain on the ground in China for about 32 hours so that they could get adequate rest. |
| The State Department has previously issued Level 4 advisories warning Americans not to travel to at least 12 other countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Iran, where the department cited the risk of kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest and detention of United States citizens. | The State Department has previously issued Level 4 advisories warning Americans not to travel to at least 12 other countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Iran, where the department cited the risk of kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest and detention of United States citizens. |
| Other countries placed under a Level 4 travel advisory include Mali, because of crime, terrorism, and kidnapping; Venezuela, because of crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure, kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest and detention of Americans; and Burkina Faso, because of terrorism, crime and kidnapping. | Other countries placed under a Level 4 travel advisory include Mali, because of crime, terrorism, and kidnapping; Venezuela, because of crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure, kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest and detention of Americans; and Burkina Faso, because of terrorism, crime and kidnapping. |
| Michael Levenson contributed reporting. | Michael Levenson contributed reporting. |