San Francisco declares state of emergency over coronavirus fears

San Francisco, US city of California state has declared a state of emergency amid concerns over the international coronavirus outbreak, as the health officials have warned against its spread across the US was inevitable.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) has declared a state of emergency for the city on Tuesday, however, there are no reported cases in the city yet.

“The global picture is changing rapidly, and we need to step-up preparedness,” Breed said in a statement.

“We see the virus spreading in new parts of the world every day, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm,” she added.

This announcement comes after as officials with the CDC suggested the virus spreading in the US was not a matter of if, but when.

“As more and more countries experience community spread, successful containment at our borders becomes harder and harder,” Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said Tuesday.

“It’s not a question of if this will happen but when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illnesses,” she added. “Disruption to everyday life might be severe.”

There are currently over 80, 200 confirmed cases worldwide, with the majority of those in China, and more than 2,700 deaths from the new virus.