New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that 11 suspected cases in New York all came back negative. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, therefore, assured residents that the risk of coronavirus spreading in the state remained low, highlighting that NYC has the strongest public health system across the United States.
Still, health officials emphasized that people need to observe proper hygiene just the same. Regular handwashing should be observed all the time.
The test results for the first suspected case in came out on Sunday. The patient was under 40 years old.
Currently, there remain to be two suspected infected individuals who were being observed in Queens, one in Flushing hospital and the other at New York-Presbyterian. Both of them are more than 60 years old.
These three patients who remained under strict medical care returned from Mainland China. They all complained of shortness of breath and all had fever and cough, and other flu symptoms.
Still, even with no confirmed coronavirus patients so far, Cuomo said the state continues to take every precautionary measure to safeguard the public.
Indeed, even New York universities have some policies in place to prevent the spread of the virus. Cornell and Syracuse University restricted students and teachers from traveling to China. At the same time, Cornell announced on January 29 a university student is at a hospital under observation for possible infection.
Across the United States, there are already 11 confirmed coronavirus infections as of press time. Six people were infected in California, two in Illinois, one in Washington State, Arizona, and Massachusetts.
Officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta are the ones tasked to confirm cases in the U.S. and while they aim for speedy test results, the White House highlights that the coronavirus is not a disaster.
While it may have an impact on government funds and other segments within the business sector, it will not be catastrophic. New York's tourism sector, however, is already feeling the pinch.
The U.S. had already banned the entry of all foreign nationals from China. It also halted travels to and from the Asian country.
Chinese tourists are the second-largest group of foreign travelers. Elsewhere in the US, China is the third-largest number of travelers with New York as the most favorite destination.
Based on how SARS impact the US tourism industry, Tourism Economics estimated a 28% dip in Chinese tourists for this year. That percentage translates to as much as $5.8 billion. The US tourism industry took three years before it recovers from the SARS outbreak.
With travel bans in place and fewer people willing to travel to China at the moment, one hotel near Newark Liberty International Airport said it is already losing more than $100,000 at present. Cancellations and no shows also become rampant among Chinese travelers for the Best Western Queens Court in Flushing. The Wyndham Garden Newark Airport will likely lose $250,000 to $300,000 if the decline in tourists continues for the next 90 days.
A bus tour organizer around Manhattan has canceled 300 schedules from Chinese tourists this week. One owner of a travel agency is now considering lay off of five of its regular employees although the best possible solution is having them work from home in the meantime.
Restaurants are also hurting, most especially in New York's China towns in Lower Manhattan; Flushing, Queens; and Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
The U.S. had already banned the entry of all foreign nationals from China. It also halted travels to and from the Asian country. Evacuations for US citizens continue with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying additional flights are considered.
The World Health Organization said 22 nations reported travel bans even if such measures do not comply with WHO's advice. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom said travel bans can cause fear and stigma.
Meanwhile, China reported total deaths of 490 and a total of 24,324 as of Tuesday night. Four hundred ninety people have died in the country. As of Tuesday night, there are 65 new deaths in the Hubei province alone.
