US health authority issues travel advisory for 3 states

WASHINGTON

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday urged residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Residents should not travel for 14 days, effective immediately, said the agency, citing extensive community transmission of the virus in the area.

The warning does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, including but not limited to trucking, public health professionals, financial services and food supply.

The recommendation came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump reversed his decision for a short-term quarantine in "hot spots" in areas of the three states and asked the agency to issue a travel advisory to curb the spread of the virus.

"On the recommendation of the White House CoronaVirus Task Force, and upon consultation with the Governor’s (sic) 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. A quarantine will not be necessary," Trump said on Twitter.

New York has more than 52,000 cases and at least 725 deaths. New Jersey reported 86 deaths and Connecticut recorded 20.

The virus has infected more than 664,000 worldwide, including greater than 124,200 in the U.S. It has killed 30,840, including 2,185 in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

The virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December.