The coronavirus is making its mark, and President Donald Trump is determined to stop the virus from spreading by declaring it a public health emergency.

By declaring the public health emergency, Trump has restricted travel to China. This is the first time in over 50 years that America has ordered a quarantine. In addition, the 195 people who are traveling back to the United States from China must go through 14 days of mandatory quarantine in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a California military base.

This precaution ensures that none of the travelers will bring the coronavirus with them from their trip after they evacuated China. At the base, their throats and noses are swabbed to test for the virus, and the people’s temperatures are taken multiple times a day. If no symptoms occur after the two weeks, they are cleared.

Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or an immediate family of a U.S. citizen cannot enter the country until the threat of the coronavirus is gone. Currently, there has been one case in Massachusetts, Arizona and Washington, two cases in Illinois and six cases in California. There have been no fatalities in the United States.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, explains that the precautions for the coronavirus are so strict because of how easily the virus can spread. The current risk of the coronavirus in the United States is low, and he and his team want to keep it that way.

To be sure you stay healthy, don’t plan any lengthy trips too far from home. Remember to keep the sick and those who have passed away due to the coronavirus in your prayers.

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/31/801686524/trump-declares-coronavirus-a-public-health-emergency-and-restricts-travel-from-c

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/coronavirus-u-s-map-where-virus-has-been-confirmed-across-n1124546

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/health/quarantine-coronavirus.html