US warns against non-essential travel to China

Tuesday, 28 Jan, 2020 0

The US is urging all Americans to avoid travelling to China unless their trip is essential.

It has updated its China travel warning to level 3, which urges US citizens to ‘avoid nonessential travel’ to the country.

The State Department has also raised the travel warning for Hubei province to level 4 insisting it has ‘limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens’ in the province.

The US government is arranging evacuation flights of all non-emergency personnel and their families from the Hubei region, and other US citizens if space allows.

A US official said about 1,000 Americans live in Wuhan.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its highest travel warning level advising Americans to postpone travel plans to China due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, the UK’s Foreign Office is still advising against travel to Hubei province but hasn’t extended its warning beyond that.

Hong Kong is to suspend rail links between the territory and mainland China from Thursday and buses and ferry services will also be cut back in an effort to limit travel across its border.

Authorities in Beijing have confirmed the death of a 50-year-old man, the first victim of the coronavirus in the Chinese capital.

So far 106 people have died and there are 4,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

About 700 new cases a day have been reported over the past few days.

Public transportation around the Hubei region is extremely limited with air, bus and rail services suspended.

Meanwhile, Chinese travel giant Trip.com has extened cancellation waivers to 30,000 overseas hotels. It was already offering free cancellations for hotels within China.

Chinese authorities have ordered travel agents in China to stop selling tours – both domestic and international – until further notice.

The move will be of concern to UK travel and tourism businesses which rely heavily on Chinese visitors.

See our Expert Insight into the possible impact on UK tourism, by Helena Beard, MD of China Travel Outbound.

below social share icons

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

Philippine Airlines (PR), also known as PAL, is the Filipino flag carrier. The company started their operations in February 1941,...

With long periods of Thailand’s History, according to evidences and studies, Sukhothai was the first kingdom of Thailand. At that time, an early Thai...

We are the UK’s leading Canada travel experts Canadian Affair Company Information Founded in 1995, Canadian Affair offers an...

Welcome to WTE Miami WTE Miami is an international travel and tourism expo that offers your company a...

From the Tel Aviv beach scene to the shores of the Dead Sea, Israel layers diverse cultures, outdoor adventures, and...

Global Hotel Alliance brings together a unique collection of independent hospitality brands for GHA DISCOVERY, a multi-brand loyalty programme. GHA...

Discover Sarawak Revealing a side of Asia unlike anywhere else, Sarawak offers an alternative for those seeking humble authenticity far...

Arival advances the business of creating amazing in-destination experiences. We provide events, insights, and community for creators and sellers of...

At Visit California, our mission is to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry...

The Mexico Tourism Board serves as the driving force behind Mexico’s global appeal, orchestrating targeted marketing campaigns to showcase the...

City Cruises is a leading operator of sightseeing, dining and charter services operating in London, York and Poole. We offer...

Here at Elegant Resorts, luxury travel is in our DNA. True pioneers in the industry, we were the first specialist...

Family-owned Olympic Holidays has been arranging holidays to Greece, the Greek islands and Cyprus for more than half century. The company is unrivalled...

Intrepid Travel is a world leader in sustainable experience-rich travel that has been taking travellers to discover the world’s most amazing places...