US President Donald Trump said Saturday (March 28) he asked the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue travel advisory for the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, scaling back from an earlier suggestion to impose quarantine on those areas.


People are seen near the Washington Monument in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 28, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

"On the recommendation of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, I have asked the @CDCgov to issue a strong Travel Advisory, to be administered by the Governors, in consultation with the Federal Government," Trump tweeted.

"A quarantine will not be necessary," he added. "Full details will be released by CDC tonight."

The announcement came as the COVID-19 outbreak continued to exacerbate in the United States, with New York State having 52,318 confirmed cases -- according to heath authorities in the state -- accounting for nearly half of the over 120,000 cases nationwide.

The CDC later posted the travel advisory for on its website, urging residents of the three states "to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately."

"This Domestic Travel Advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, including but not limited to trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply," it said. "These employees of critical infrastructure, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security have a special responsibility to maintain normal work schedule."

Earlier in the day, Trump said he was considering a 14-day quarantine for New York, "probably New Jersey, certain parts of Connecticut," adding the measure might not have to be taken, but "there's a possibility."

* The United States has reported more than 2,000 COVID-19 deaths, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE).

As of 6:40 p.m. on Saturday (2240 GMT), there were more than 121,000 confirmed cases in the United States, with 2,010 deaths, an interactive map maintained by the CSSE showed.

Globally, the number of COVID-19 cases has exceeded 650,000, with more than 30,000 deaths, while nearly 140,000 people have recovered from the disease, according to the latest tally on Saturday.

Source: Xinhua


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