U.S. calls coronavirus ‘unprecedented public health threat,’ issues rare quarantine for 195 evacuees in California

The United States issued a rare quarantine order Friday for 195 people evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, calling the illness an “unprecedented public health threat.” The evacuees are being held on an air force base in California.

Nearly 10,000 people have been diagnosed with the rapidly spreading virus and more than 200 have died, with all fatalities occurring in China. The State Department told Americans not to travel there and advised those who are already there to consider departing.