Wuhan virus: three US airports to screen passengers from China for deadly coronavirus outbreak
- Health officials say they will begin taking temperatures and asking about symptoms of passengers travelling from Wuhan
- About 5,000 passengers are expected to go through process over next two weeks at JFK, Los Angeles and San Francisco International Airports
Three airports in major US hubs will begin screening passengers arriving from a city from central China in response to an outbreak caused by a novel coronavirus that has claimed two lives.
The screening will start at airports in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday.
Officials will begin taking temperatures and asking about symptoms of passengers who travelled from city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.
The illness was first reported in December. Fears of a more widespread outbreak arose this week when two cases were found in Thailand and one in Japan, carrying the same virus.
At least a half-dozen countries in Asia, including Thailand and Japan, have started screening incoming airline passengers from central China. Officials are concerned the disease may spread more widely as millions of Chinese workers travel home during the Lunar New Year.