Trump invokes Iran travel ban as US records first virus death

President follows Australia’s lead, considers closing Mexico border after woman with no international travel link dies in US.

The US is banning travel to Iran and is considering closing the Mexico border, in response to the outbreak of the new coronavirus and elevating travel warnings to regions of Italy and South Korea.

Vice President Mike Pence announced the new restrictions and warnings as President Donald Trump said 22 people in the US have been stricken by the new coronavirus, including four deemed “very ill” and that additional cases are “likely.”

Mr Trump provided an update on the virus from the White House press briefing room for the second time this week after the first reported US death on Saturday, of a woman he described as being in her late 50s and having a high medical risk.

US health authorities later corrected this information to say that the deceased was a man in his 50s, reportedly from the Seattle suburb of Kirkland in Washington state.

The death of the man has prompted Washington Governor Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency, instructing state agencies to use “all resources necessary” to prepare for any outbreak.

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there was “no evidence of link to travel” in the case of the man who died. On Friday, health officials confirmed a second case of coronavirus in the US in a person who didn’t travel internationally or have close contact with anyone who had the virus. The US has a total of about 60 confirmed cases. Mr Trump’s tally appeared to exclude cases of Americans repatriated from two cruise ships in Asia.

The President said he was considering additional restrictions, including closing the US border with Mexico in response to the virus’ spread. “We’re thinking about all borders,” Trump said.

Mr Trump said healthy Americans should be able to recover if they contract the new virus, as he tried to reassure Americans and global markets spooked by the virus threat.

National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks alongside the President.

He encouraged Americans not to alter their daily routines, saying the country is “super prepared” for a wider outbreak, adding “there’s no reason to panic at all.” He added he wasn’t altering his routine either.

“You’re talking about 22 people right now in this whole very vast country. I think we’ll be in very good shape.”

Mr Trump spoke a day after he denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a “hoax” cooked up by his political enemies. Speaking at a rally in South Carolina he accused Democrats of “politicising” the coronavirus threat and boasted about preventive steps he’s ordered in an attempt to keep the virus that originated in China from spreading across the United States. Those steps include barring entry by most foreign nationals who had recently visited China.

“They tried the impeachment hoax. ... This is their new hoax,” Mr Trump said of Democratic denunciations of his administration’s coronavirus response. He said on Saturday he was not trying to minimise the threat of the virus.

“Again, the hoax was used in respect to Democrats and what they were saying,” he said.

Some Democrats have said Mr Trump could have acted sooner to bolster the US response to the virus. Democratic and Republican lawmakers also have said his request for an additional $2.5 billion to defend against the virus isn’t enough. They’ve signaled they will provide substantially more funding. Mr Trump said Democrats want him to fail and argued that steps he’s taken so far have kept cases to a minimum and prevented virus deaths in the US. As global markets plunged this week, Mr Trump predicted they will come back, and encouraged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.

“The markets will all come back,” he said. “I think the Fed has a very important role, especially psychological. If you look at it, the Fed has a massive impact.”

AP