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| - US officials said Wednesday they are discussing restrictions on travel to China, but warned against overreacting to the epidemic of novel coronavirus that has so far infected 6,000 people and killed 132. President Donald Trump's national security advisor, Robert O'Brien, said the government is "monitoring" the decision by British Airways to suspend all flights to and from China. "That was a clear message of at least how British Airways feels about it," he told reporters. "We're monitoring the situation very closely. We're working with our airline partners." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters during a trip to Europe that "enormous efforts (are) underway by the United States government to make sure that we do everything we can to protect the American people and to reduce the risk all around the globe." The State Department is evaluating risk levels and "a wide range of things, including banning travel," he said. "At the same time we don't want to overreact either. We don't want to react in a way that actually has the potential to make things worse and not better," Pompeo said. British Airways was the first major airline to announce a total suspension of flights to and from China, citing the travel advice of the Foreign Office. Indonesia's Lion Air Group, Southeast Asia's biggest carrier by fleet size, then said it would halt services to and from China from Saturday "until further notice." Meanwhile Kazakhstan, an important China trade partner, stopped issuing visas to Chinese citizens and said it would halt cross-border passenger train traffic and suspend regular flights between the neighbors. Airlines from Myanmar and Nepal also announced suspensions of all China routes. Cathay Pacific has reduced flights, citing low demand and the Hong Kong government's response plan against the virus. sms/jm
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