In 2018 President Trump established a National Biodefense Strategy specifically to improve the speed of action for any biological risk to U.S. Citizens. [pdf here]
Following the initial reports from China, and in response to potential U.S. health risks; and anticipating multiple agency aspects of the U.S. government would need a unified command structure; on January 30th President Trump assembled a unified task force to coordinate all response efforts across the totality of government.
At the time the task force was established, January 30th, President Trump signed a presidential proclamation, using his authority pursuant to Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, temporarily suspending the entry into the United States of foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the 2019 novel coronavirus.
The task force is coordinated through the National Security Council. It is composed of subject matter experts from the White House and several United States Government agencies, and it includes some of the Nation’s foremost experts on infectious diseases.
The task force is led by HHS Secretary Alex Azar and includes: Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health; Ken Cuccinelli, Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security; Matthew Pottinger, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor.
To establish protocols, build out the larger response framework, and initiate proactive coronavirus measures. Immediately following the travel restrictions, January 30th HHS Secretary Alex Azar declared a nationwide public health emergency.
Using the authorities created by President Trump; and in accordance with the declaration, at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time; Sunday, February 2nd, the U.S government implemented temporary measures to increase detection & containment of the coronavirus proactively. Effective February 2nd:
Any U.S. citizen returning to the United States who was in Hubei Province in the previous 14 days was/is subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine.
Any U.S. citizen returning to the United States who was in the rest of Mainland China within the previous 14 days was put through proactive entry health screening at a select number of ports of entry, and up to 14 days of monitored self-quarantine to ensure they had not contracted the virus and did not pose a public health risk.
All foreign nationals, other than U.S. citizens and permanent residents, who traveled in China within the prior 14 days were denied entry into the United States. The temporary entry ban continues through today.
On January 31st the Coronavirus Task Force held a press conference.
Centinel2012 