On 19 occasions this week AlertsUSA subscribers were notified via SMS messages to their mobile devices regarding safety and security matters. 14 of these alerts messages dealt with the rapidly evolving situation with the 2019 novel coronavirus coming out of China.

Most important for this report, beginning last Sunday, confirmed new cases of the virus were reported in Orange and Los Angeles counties in California, as well as in Arizona. This was followed on Monday by a Level 3 Travel Advisory issued by the U.S. State Department urging reconsideration of travel anywhere in China, then by the CDC issuing a Level 3 Travel Notice recommending avoiding all nonessential travel to the country.

PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY OF INT'L CONCERN

On Thursday, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC, pronounced "fake"), which is a formal declaration of "an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease, and to potentially require a coordinated international response."

A PHEIC has only been issued on 5 previous occasions:

• 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic
  
• 2014 Resurgence of Polio
• 2014 West Africa Ebola Outbreak
• 2018 Kivu Ebola Outbreak
  
• 2016 Zika Epidemic

LEVEL 4 (DO NOT TRAVEL) ADVISORY ISSUED

On Thursday, the U.S. State Department authorized the departure of all non-emergency US diplomatic personnel and their families from the embassy in Beijing, as well as consulates in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang. Later in the day, this was followed by the State Dept issuing a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) Advisory for all of China.

PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY DECLARED

On Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services declared a National Public Health Emergency. Quoting Secretary Alexander Azar:

"In accordance with the declaration, beginning 5 PM Eastern Standard Time, Sunday, February 2, the U.S. government will implement temporary measures to increase our abilities to detect and contain the coronavirus proactively and aggressively."

"Any U.S. citizen returning to the U.S. who has been in Hubei Province in the previous 14 days will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine, to ensure they’re provided proper medical care and health screening. To be clear, this applies only to U.S. citizens who have been in Hubei Province in the past 14 days."

"Any U.S. citizen returning to the U.S. who has been in the rest of mainland China within the previous 14 days will undergo proactive entry health screening at a select number of ports of entry and up to 14 days of monitored self-quarantine to ensure they have not contracted the virus and do not pose a public health risk."

Watch the Full Press Conference HERE.

PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION ISSUED

The White House also issued a Presidential Proclamation, implementing a strict suspension of entry for foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the virus. Quoting from the proclamation:

"During Fiscal Year 2019, an average of more than 14,000 people traveled to the United States from China each day, via both direct and indirect flights. The United States Government is unable to effectively evaluate and monitor all of the travelers continuing to arrive from China. The potential for widespread transmission of the virus by infected individuals seeking to enter the United States threatens the security of our transportation system, infrastructure, and national security. Given the importance of protecting persons within the United States from the threat of this harmful communicable disease, I have determined that it is in the interests of the United States to take action to restrict and suspend the entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of all aliens who were physically present within the People’s Republic of China, excluding the Special Autonomous Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. I have also determined that the United States should take all necessary and appropriate measures to facilitate orderly medical screening and, where appropriate, quarantine of persons allowed to enter the United States who may have been exposed to this virus."

In short, entry into the U.S. will be denied to any foreign national who has traveled in China in the 14 days leading up to their attempted entry.

The Proclamation also provides provision for the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish standards and procedures to ensure the application and implementation of the proclamation at United States land and seaports.

Read the full Presidential Proclamation HERE.

As the new entry restrictions into the U.S. are being implemented at the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations when a massive reverse migration takes place, there will be hundreds of thousands of Chinese students, professionals, business travelers, and family members who will be temporarily barred from entering / reentering the country or who are placed in quarantine. This will likely impact a broad spectrum of business operations and commerce. Similarly, the U.S. is dangerously exposed to supply disruptions in many key product and material sectors. If your business is dependent on product, component or material imports from China, now is the time to stock up or arrange alternate suppliers. Shippers looking to transport products out of mainland China will see a reduction in airfreight capacity. Cathay Pacific, a major passenger and cargo airline for the region, has already stated they will be reducing capacity by "50% or more" through March 2020. If the pandemic continues to worsen, expect capacity across all forms of transportation to decline.

AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant.