US weighs options on Coronavirus, including China flight ban

The U.S. government is considering several options to combat the emergence of the coronavirus, including a ban on flights to and from China, though no decision has been made, a person familiar with the deliberations said on Tuesday night.

Several agencies are coordinating on the government’s response as fatalities from the respiratory illness grow and cases spread far beyond China’s borders, including to the U.S.

A senior Trump administration official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, denied a CNBC report that the White House had told the airlines that it was considering a suspension of flights between China and the U.S.

Nearly 6,000 people have been infected in China, and at least 132 have died, including 25 deaths the National Health Commission announced on Wednesday morning. The outbreak has rattled global markets and prompted concerns of economic fallout as travel declines and Chinese business is slowed.

The number of confirmed cases has already surpassed the official number during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak of 2003.

Governments have been tightening international travel and border crossings with China.

The U.S. and U.K. on Tuesday said that residents should avoid all non-essential travel to China, and United Airlines Holdings Inc., the biggest U.S. carrier to the Asian nation, said it would cut flight service after a drop in demand.

Hong Kong announced restrictions on travel from mainland China. It will close some border checkpoints and restrict flights, trains and ferries from the mainland, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday. The Chinese government is also suspending visas for visitors to the territory, she said.