Amid coronavirus outbreak, CDC tells Americans to avoid nonessential travel to South Korea

A person wears a protective mask in Daegu, South Korea.
(Image credit: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised its South Korea travel advisory to its highest level as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the country.

The CDC is warning Americans against nonessential travel to the country, saying, "There is a widespread, ongoing outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that can be spread from person to person. Older adults and people with chronic medical conditions may be at risk of severe disease." The advisory also states that there is "limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.