White House says there is no reason for Americans to panic amid coronavirus outbreak

United States National security adviser Robert O'Brien on February 2 said there is no reason for American citizens to panic about coronavirus, the deadly disease that has claimed the lives of 361 people until now. According to reports, O'Brien said that the disease poses a low-level threat in the US.

While talking to a local media outlet, the NSA said that at this point of time there is no reason for the American people to panic, adding that the issue is Donald Trump's top priority. O'Brien further added that the Trump-led administration is taking the necessary steps and precautions to keep the American people safe.

Request for Military housing approved

On February 1, the Pentagon made an announcement that Defense Secretary Mark Esper approved a request for a military housing for all those who will be required to go into quarantine after arriving in the United States from overseas travel. The Department of Homeland Security stated that it will start imposing travel restrictions in an effort to restrict the viral outbreak of the disease.

DHS's acting secretary, Chad F. Wolf said that the steps undertaken will also speed up the processing of American citizens coming in from China and ensure that the available resources would be used to focus on the health of US citizens. Wold further added that it could cause a little bit of trouble for people and said that security experts are of the opinion that preventive measures need to be enforced to contain the viral outbreak of the coronavirus.

Read: Hong Kong Shuts Most China Crossings Over Virus As Medics Strike

Read: WHO Launches Campaign Against China Virus Misinformation

The White House makes coronavirus taskforce announcement

The White House on January 30 made an announcement about a coronavirus taskforce with an objective to closely monitor, contain and stop the spread of the virus According to reports, the task force will be headed by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and also includes people from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Homeland Security, National Institutes of Health.

The coronavirus which originated in Wuhan in the month of December 2019, has claimed a total of 361 lives with 57 deaths reported on February 2 while the number of confirmed cases stands at 17,205.

Read: Hong Kong: 'Non-essential' Medical Workers Go On Strike, Demand Border Closure With China

Read: China Accuses US Of Spreading Global 'panic' Over Coronavirus