(Fighting new crown pneumonia) U.S. announces ban on entry of foreigners with Iranian travel history
China News Agency, Washington, February 29 (Reporter Chen Mengtong) The US government announced on the 29th that in response to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the United States will ban entry of foreigners with Iranian travel history in the past 14 days. At the same time, the tourist alert levels in certain regions of South Korea and Italy were raised to the highest level.
U.S. Vice President Pence announced the decision at a press conference at the White House on the 29th. Pence said that the US State Department will also cooperate with the Italian and South Korean governments to strengthen the health screening of personnel from the two countries going to the United States.
Prior to this abruptly-scheduled press conference on Saturday, the state of Washington had its first death from new crown pneumonia in the United States.
US President Trump appeared in the White House press briefing room for the second time in 4 days. "The number of confirmed cases in the United States is likely to increase." He said the death was a high-risk patient in his 50s. If healthy Americans are infected with the new crown virus, they should be able to recover.
Trump said that the American people do not have to change their daily lives, and that the US government is "prepared for any situation" and "there is no reason to panic." He also revealed that major US pharmaceutical companies will go to the White House on March 2 to discuss with them how to respond to the outbreak.
Pence emphasized that the American people do not need to buy masks, and the risk of the new crown virus is still low. The US government has coordinated with pharmaceutical product manufacturers to ensure the supply of medical supplies.
Concerns over the spread of community outbreaks in the United States have increased over the past few days. Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services Azza and Director of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Redfield reiterated on the 29th that the risk of a new crown pneumonia epidemic in the United States is still low, but the situation may change at any time.
Forsythia, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, added that the new crown virus poses a greater threat to the elderly and people with potential health problems, but to others it is more like a severe flu or cold.
Due to concerns over the spread of the epidemic, the U.S. stock market has suffered a continuous plunge in the past week. Trump called for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and expected "the market will recover fully." (Finish)