On 20 occasions this week AlertsUSA subscribers were notified via SMS messages to their mobile devices regarding safety and security matters. 19 these alerts dealt with the expanding domestic and international public health crisis with the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Most important for this report:

CANADA BANS NON-CITIZENS (EXCEPT AMERICANS)

On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government was stepping up its response to the spread of COVID-19 by shutting its border to nearly all non-residents. Speaking to reporters Monday outside his residence where he himself is self quarantined since his wife tested positive for the coronavirus, Trudeau said people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents will be denied entry into Canada. He noted there are exceptions for airline crews, diplomats, immediate family members of Canadians and, for now, U.S. citizens.

Trudeau also put out the call for Canadian citizens abroad to return to Canada.

US-CANADA BORDER CLOSED

On Wednesday, President Trump announced that the US and Canada, by mutual consent, would be closing the common border to non-essential traffic. The closing will affect tourism, but not trade, or those involved in essential work covering support of critical infrastructure and the international response to the crisis.

GLOBAL LEVEL-4 TRAVEL ADVISORY

On Thursday, the US State Department suspended routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services in all countries with a Level 2, 3, or 4 Travel Advisory due to COVID-19 threat.

Also on Thursday, the State Dept. issued a Global Level 4 (Do Not Travel) Health Advisory urging US citizens to avoid all international travel. Quoting from the advisory:

The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the U.S., unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period. U.S. citizens who live abroad should avoid all international travel. Many countries are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and implementing travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines, closing borders, and prohibiting non-citizens from entry with little advance notice. Airlines have canceled many international flights and several cruise operators have suspended operations or canceled trips. If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may be severely disrupted, and you may be forced to remain outside of the United States for an indefinite timeframe.

On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US and Mexico, by mutual consent, would be closing the common border to non-essential traffic. Here again, trade and essential workers would not be affected.

'STAY AT HOME ' ORDERS

Also this week, numerous states, including California, New York and Illinois issued unprecedented 'Stay at Home' orders for all of their residents with the exception of essential workers. Each has also limited the size of gatherings, in most instances, to less than 10 people in order to slow the spread of the virus.

NOW IS THE TIME TO FINALIZE PREPAREDNESS

Once again, AlertsUSA strongly encourages listeners to pay attention and use the totality of U.S. and foreign government actions in response to this global public health crisis as your cue to prepare yourself, your family, and any business interests, for the possibility that the virus will have a significant impact here in North America. The Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health all warn that we are only witnessing the tip of the iceberg and that more cases of the coronavirus will be appearing across the United States, especially now that we have increasingly widespread testing capabilities across the country. IT is going to get worse before it gets better.

PARENTS OF SPRING BREAK REVELERS BEWARE

AlertsUSA also cautions the parents and families of college and university students who, despite this global public health threat, still chose to travel for Spring Break. Many of those students are now heading home, and as most colleges and universities have closed, those students will likely be returning to your homes. Given that one can be can be a carrier, and spreader, of the virus and be completely asymptomatic, strong consideration should be given to where the returning Spring break revelers will stay until it is detirmined they are not carriers of the virus.

OFFICIAL CASE NUMBERS

World Health Organization
Centers for Disease Control (U.S.)
Johns Hopkins CSSE (Interactive map updated multiple times daily)

WHO RISK OF SPREAD & IMPACT ASSESSMENT

China Very High
Regional Level Very High
Global Level Very High

PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS RESOURCES

Official Coronavirus Information Pages:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Food and Drug Administration
Public Health Agency of Canada
Infection Prevention and Control Canada
World Health Organization

Official Pandemic Preparedness Guidance:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Department of Homeland Security / Ready.Gov
World Health Organization

Assorted Resources

(While some of the resources below were prepared for pandemic influenza, the broader guidance contain therein is directly applicable to the current coronavirus crisis).

Home Care for Patients w/ Suspected Coronavirus Infection
Community Mitigation Guidelines to Prevent Pandemic Influenza
Fundamentals of Emergency Planning for Schools
Healthcare Systems Preparedness for COVID-19
Pub Health Guidance for Community-Level Preparedness & Response (SARS)
Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist
Faith-based & Community Org. Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Checklist
WHO Checklist for Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Planning
Get Your Workplace Ready for Pandemic Flu
Dept of Defense Coronavirus Response Page
DHS Supplemental Instructions For Inbound Flights

View Last Week's Issue

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.