Here's the Official Timeline -
December 31
Health officials in Wuhan, China,
post a notice that says they’re investigating a pneumonia outbreak that is spreading in their city. The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges that it “was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause.”
OFFICIAL US ACTIONS
January 8
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
publishes a health advisoryregarding the “pneumonia of unknown etiology” that appears to have originated in Wuhan.
OFFICIAL US ACTIONS
January 17
The CDC
dispatches more than 100 staffers to three US airports to screen passengers arriving from Wuhan, a highly unusual step only taken during major health crises.
OFFICIAL US ACTIONS
January 21
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, a senior CDC official handling the response to respiratory diseases,
tells reporters, “We do expect additional cases in the United States and globally.”
TRUMP COMMENTS
January 22
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump says he isn’t worried that the outbreak could turn into a global pandemic, and said he is confident that China is being transparent about the number of cases. “We have it totally under control,”
Trump told CNBC. “It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”
OFFICIAL US ACTIONS
January 23
CDC advisers
tell CNN they are concerned that Chinese health officials haven’t released basic epidemiological data about the virus, making it more difficult to contain the outbreak. Questions remain about how quickly people with the infection become contagious.
TRUMP COMMENTS
January 24
Senior officials from the CDC brief senators about the latest developments about the virus. Later, Trump
posts his first tweet about the coronavirus. He praises the Chinese government for its “transparency” handling the outbreak and says, “it will all work out well.”
FOREIGN DEVELOPMENTS
January 25
The WHO
says there are more than 1,000 confirmed cases worldwide.
FOREIGN DEVELOPMENTS
January 26
Chinese government health officials
reveal for the first time that people who are infected with the coronavirus can spread the disease before they are showing any symptoms.
OFFICIAL US ACTIONS
January 29
The White House
announces a coronavirus task force, which is led by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and is being coordinated through the National Security Council. Trump attend a meeting of the task force and
tweeted that the experts “are on top of it.”
FOREIGN DEVELOPMENTS
January 30
The World Health Organization
declares a public health emergency of international concern. The State Department
announces a “do not travel” warning for China due to the virus.
OFFICIAL US ACTIONS
January 31
The Trump administration
declares a public health emergency in the United States because of the coronavirus and blocks foreigners who visited China from entering the country. (In the following weeks, Trump complained that he didn’t get enough credit for this decision, which he claimed was a turning point in preventing a large-scale outbreak in the United States.)