U.S. State Dept. Issues Level 4 - DO NOT TRAVEL Advisory for China

Update

Late on 30 January, the U.S. State Dept. issued an updated travel advisory for China, raising their rating to LEVEL 4 - DO NOT TRAVEL in light of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in China. This follows the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a public health emergency of international concern due to the outbreak. 

Note that while the U.S. State Dept. has allowed for the voluntary departure of non-emergency personnel and family members of U.S. government employees from China, they have not ordered mandatory evacuations of U.S. government personnel from China, outside of Wuhan. 

What we know:

• 9776 confirmed cases 
• At least 213 deaths, all in China
• Multiple airlines have suspended or limited flights to/from China
• New cases have been confirmed in Italy and Russia 

CURRENT STATUS

Multiple airlines and several nations (Singapore, Italy, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan Palau, Maldives, Israel) have implemented bans or limitations on flights to/from China, in effect through the immediate future:

TRAVEL ADVICE

The U.S. State Dept.has issued guidance to DO NOT TRAVEL to China due to the outbreak. The U.S. CDC has issued guidance to AVOID NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL to China. While the WHO has declared the outbreak to be a global emergency, they indicated that there is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade. In addition, Global Guardian recommends the following:

• Avoid all travel to Hubei province as it is under lock down by Chinese authorities.
• Consider leaving China by commercial means.
• Practice advanced careful hygiene measures, including frequent hand washing and sanitizing.
• Wear a face mask or respirator in public if traveling in Chinese cities with reported infections.

OUtLook

While multiple airlines have suspended or limited service to/from China, it is unlikely that Chinese authorities will lock down cities outside of Hubei province. Beijing and Shanghai have combined populations of more than 45 million people, with just 250 confirmed cases of coronavirus between them. 

See below coronavirus case graph from Johns Hopkins CSSE:

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