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CDC warns residents of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut against non-essential travel

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in New York City
FILE PHOTO: A woman in a face mask rides The Roosevelt Island Tramway from Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City, U.S., March 28, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday warned residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut against non-essential domestic travel for 14 days.

In a travel advisory posted on its website, the agency said the warning did not apply to employees of “critical infrastructure industries” including trucking, public health, financial services, and food supply professionals.

Members of the White House coronavirus task force recommended a travel advisory for the hard-hit New York area to limit the spread of the coronavirus when they met with President Donald Trump on Saturday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Sunday.

Trump said on Saturday that he might impose a ban on travel in and out of New York and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, but dropped the idea later. “The president did very seriously consider it,” Mnuchin said in an interview with Fox News Sunday.

The task force unanimously decided on Saturday to go forward with the travel advisory and advised the president, who took their recommendation, Mnuchin said. Trump’s No. 1 objective is to protect the health of the American public, he said.