Turkey warns against China travel after outbreak

ANKARA/WASHINGTON

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Turkey on Jan. 27 urged its citizens not to travel China unless it is necessary.

"It is highly recommended that our citizens do not travel to China unless it is necessary and if they travel there, they should stay away from the regions where the [coronavirus] cases are seen, especially in Hubei province," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

With pneumonia-like symptoms, coronavirus in the Hubei province has become a nationwide threat to public health, with the number of cases rising, it added.

Turkish citizens who live in China and have to travel to other parts of the country should follow health precautions, it said.

They should follow "closely" the statements and warnings of Turkey's Embassy in Beijing, consulates in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and China, and the World Health Organization.

U.S. health authorities also said on Jan. 27 they are investigating 110 possible cases of the novel coronavirus across 26 states, but reported no new cases have been positively identified as the Trump administration urged Americans to reconsider all travel to China.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that total includes the five patients who have been tested possible for the disease, and 32 patients who have so far tested negative. Results for the remaining 73 patients remain pending, the agency said on its website.

The five confirmed cases include two patients in California, and one each in Washington state, Illinois, and Arizona. All of the patients had recently returned from China.

"While this is a serious public health threat, CDC continues to believe the immediate risk to the U.S. general public is low at this time," the
CDC said in confirming the most recent cases in California and Arizona on Jan. 26.

The virus, which originated in the city of Wuhan, has spread across 29 provinces in the country.

More than 30 cases have been reported in Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, the U.S., Singapore, France, Malaysia, Australia, and Vietnam.

Chinese authorities on Jan. 26 announced plans to extend the Lunar New Year holiday, which was originally set to end on Jan. 30.

Travelers from China are being screened for the virus at airports worldwide, and many airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan.

At a meeting last Thursday the World Health Organization (WHO) postponed a decision on declaring the outbreak a health emergency, saying it needed more information about the virus.