Tourists wearing protective face masks walk in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in the centre of Milan, on February 28, 2020, after COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, spread to Italy. AFP / Miguel Medina
Washington: The United States raised its travel advisory for Italy to the second-highest-level warning, Level 3: Reconsider Travel, due to the novel coronavirus.
The move comes as Italy has suffered at least 650 cases and 17 deaths from the coronavirus, with the World Health Organization saying that the country, as well as Iran and South Korea, has reached a critical point in responding to the outbreak.
"Reconsider travel to Italy due to a recent outbreak of COVID-19," the advisory says. "There is an ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 caused by a novel (new) coronavirus in Italy. Many cases of COVID-19 have been associated with travel to or from mainland China or close contact with a travel-related case, but sustained community spread has been reported in Italy."
The additional travel restrictions come amid the administration's concerns over the disease's continued spread.
At this time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends avoiding non-essential travel to Italy, the advisory read.
Since its initial outbreak, the coronavirus has killed more than 2,800 people globally, the vast majority in mainland China. There have been more than 83,000 global cases, with infections in every continent except Antarctica.
