Senior U.S. government officials said the White House did not contact airlines and did not ask to suspend flights between China and the United States.
Earlier, CNBC quoted people familiar with the situation as saying that the White House informed airline executives that it was considering suspending flights from China to the United States due to the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic.
At present, the U.S. government holds a meeting every day to discuss the virus epidemic, and considers various possible solutions. Two U.S. officials said the government did not rule out any measures, including a temporary ban on flights backed by public health data.
United Airlines and other airlines said they had cancelled some flights between China and the United States because of "a significant decline in demand" as the new coronavirus spread.
The cumulative number of deaths from pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus rose to 132 as of 24:00 on Tuesday, January 28, the National Health Commission said Wednesday. The epidemic spread to many countries, leading to financial market volatility.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday it would expand its surveillance to 20 airports.
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