US tells citizens 'do not travel' to China as Coronavirus spread worsens

The UN health agency based in Geneva had initially downplayed the threat posed by the disease, but revised its risk assessment after crisis talks

The United States told its citizens Thursday night "do not travel" to China, raising its advisory status to the highest level of alert because of the coronavirus epidemic.

The State Department issued a level four warning -- up from urging Americans to "reconsider" travel to China -- and said any nationals in China now "should consider departing using commercial means." In the travel advisory, the department cited the World Health Organization's (WHO) decision that the "rapidly spreading outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern." The WHO declared the global emergency earlier Thursday over the new coronavirus, which originated in