February 2 coronavirus news

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6:31 p.m. ET, February 2, 2020

US now has 9 cases of novel coronavirus

There are now nine cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States. There are four confirmed cases in California; one case each in Massachusetts, Washington state and Arizona and two in Illinois. The second case in Illinois is the only instance so far of person-to-person transmission in the United States, state health officials said.

Confirmed cases by state: Nine confirmed cases as of Sunday, February 2.

Arizona – 1

California – 4

Illinois – 2

Massachusetts – 1

Washington state – 1

6:17 p.m. ET, February 2, 2020

DHS adds four more gateway airports for US citizens who have traveled to China

The US Department of Homeland Security added four airports – Dallas, Detroit, Newark and Dulles – to the list of airports where US citizens who have traveled to China in the last 14 days can enter the US, according to a statement from the agency.

The four new airports add to the seven gateway airports that were initially listed: JFK, LAX, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta and Honolulu.

The restrictions began at 5 p.m. ET Sunday night.

DHS says those airports have an increased ability to conduct enhanced screening procedures. Citizens who have been in Hubei province in the last 14 days of their return will face 14 days of mandatory quarantine. Those who have been to other parts of China will have 14 days of self-quarantine.

Foreign nationals will be largely denied entry to the US unless they are the immediate family members of US citizens, permanent residents or flight crew.

6:12 p.m. ET, February 2, 2020

Santa Clara County, California, confirms second case of novel coronavirus

Santa Clara County, California, confirmed the second case of the novel coronavirus, the Santa Clara County public health department said Sunday.

This second case of the virus is in an adult female, the public health department said in a statement. The newest case is unrelated to the first case but both individuals recently traveled to Wuhan, China, the department said.

The newest patient arrived January 23 to visit family in Santa Clara County, public health officials said.

“She has stayed home since she arrived, except for two times to seek outpatient medical care. She has been regularly monitored and was never sick enough to be hospitalized," the statement said.

There have been four cases of the coronavirus in California.

2:27 p.m. ET, February 2, 2020

US Department of Homeland Security to enforce restrictions on travelers from China

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it will begin enforcing restrictions for all passenger flights carrying individuals who have recently traveled from China in response to the coronavirus, according to a DHS press release that shed light on some of the procedures US air travelers can expect in the coming days

The screening parameters reiterate much of what the Health and Human Services secretary previously announced go into effect at 5 p.m. ET today – including that flights will be routed to seven designated US airports where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will seek to identify all potentially ill persons.

DHS adds that Americans flying to the US from China will be re-routed to the designated airports at no cost to the traveler, the DHS said.

According to Acting DHS Secretary Chad F. Wolf, to minimize disruptions, Customs and Border Protection and air carriers are working to identify qualifying passengers before their scheduled flights.

DHS advises if a traveler who spent time in China, outside the Hubei province, is re-routed through one of the seven airports and shows no symptoms following a health screening, they will be re-booked to their destination and asked to “self-quarantine” at their homes.

The department adds that any individual traveling from China who has either been in Hubei province or other areas of the mainland, and is showing virus symptoms, will be screened and subject to mandatory quarantine by medical professionals at a nearby facility.

While the “overall risk to the American public remains low,” acting secretary Chad F. Wolf says “funneling all flights with passengers who have recently been in China is the most important and prudent step we can take at this time to decrease the strain on public health officials screening incoming travelers.”

12:51 p.m. ET, February 2, 2020

US national security adviser: "There is no reason for Americans to panic"

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

National security adviser Robert O’Brien said that right "now there is no reason for Americans to panic” with regards to the coronavirus, adding that “this is something that is a low risk we think in the US," according to an interview he did today with CBS' "Face the Nation."

O’Brien says that the US is working with Chinese authorities, its health authorities and the World Health Organization to determine where the virus came from.

The US continues to offer the Chinese assistance but have not heard back on that. O’Brien claims the Chinese have been more transparent than in past crises.

“This is a worldwide concern we want to help our Chinese colleague if we can,” O’Brien said. “Look I think we can be helpful if we’re on the ground, right now the Chinese are providing information to us and we’re taking that for what it’s worth but at the same time we’re monitoring ourselves and what we’re especially doing is monitoring the situation here in the states to make sure Americans are continuing to be safe from this virus.”
11:56 a.m. ET, February 2, 2020

Pakistani students in Wuhan say they are stranded

Pakistani students studying at Wuhan University are appealing to the Pakistan government to be evacuated from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

“We have been getting reports that the spread of this virus is going to double up In the coming 10 days and that the current weather is going to be favorable for a further spread of the virus. There is a panicked situation and we are appealing to the Pakistani government, please take us to a safe location. Anywhere in China, we have very little children with us. They are compromised, they are more susceptible to the disease. We are only getting verbal help from the embassy, no physical help. I’d just like to add that we are willing to pay for our own expenses to get out of here but please for God’s sake get us out of here. Please," Mohammad Adnan Shireen told CNN.

Last week the Pakistani government stated they would not be evacuating any students in Wuhan.

12:10 p.m. ET, February 2, 2020

Second evacuation flight that will carry US citizens on way to Wuhan

The second evacuation flight that will carry US citizens out of the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak is on its way to the city of Wuhan, a US official with knowledge of the matter told CNN. 

The flight should be ready for departure on Monday, as indicated in US Embassy Beijing’s email to American citizens who are still in the central Chinese city, according to this official.

There may be additional evacuation flights due to continued high-demand from US citizens in Wuhan, the official added. 

“I can't confirm the numbers yet, but this upcoming evacuation might not be the last," he said.

Some context: Last Wednesday a chartered plane carrying some 200 US citizens -- including about three dozen diplomats and their families -- arrived at March Air Reserve Base in southern California. The official with knowledge to the matter told CNN all US diplomats and their families in Wuhan were able to leave on this first flight.

10:26 a.m. ET, February 2, 2020

Israel closes all air, sea and land traffic incoming from China

Israel has temporarily banned land, sea and airport arrivals from China to prevent the spread of coronavirus, according to the prime minister’s office on Twitter. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned that the arrival of the virus in Israel could only be delayed, not prevented entirely. 

“Our objective first of all is to delay the virus from entering the country. I say to ‘delay’ because it is impossible to prevent it from getting here - afterwards to treat it, to find the people who have been exposed, to isolate them, and then to treat them,” Netanyahu told a meeting, including government ministers and leading health experts.

Although there have been a number of people checked with coronavirus symptoms in Israel, all of those tested for the virus so far have come back negative.

“Because we expect that the virus will arrive here, we will deal with the processes that should be put in place to isolate the exposed and to treat them. This treatment includes two weeks of isolation at home, we will explain to the citizens of Israel exactly what is demanded of them,” Netanyahu said. He also said that Israel had updated the Palestinian Authority about the measures it should take to treat the virus.

Netanyahu instructed Israel’s Institute for Biological Research to begin working “at the greatest possible speed” to produce a vaccine and set up a vaccine center in Israel.

He added that Israel would began an information campaign to let Israeli citizens know what to look for and what to do in case symptoms of the coronavirus are observed.

10:12 a.m. ET, February 2, 2020

All major cities in China's Hubei province under lockdown

China's Xiangyang city announced the shutdown of its railway stations and suspension of public transportation at the end of January.

With Xiangyang's lockdown, all major cities in Hubei province are now under lockdown, affecting more than 62 million people. 

As of Feb 1, there are 441 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Xiangyang city, according to Hubei provincial health commission.