Obama Urges Americans To ‘Stay Calm’ And ‘Listen To The Experts’ During Coronavirus Outbreak

Former President Obama urged Americans to “stay calm” amid rising fears over the international outbreak of a novel coronavirus, urging Americans to take “common sense precautions” to protect “yourself and your community.”

“Protect yourself and your community from coronavirus with common sense precautions: wash your hands, stay home when sick and listen to the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and local health authorities,” he tweeted early Wednesday.

“Save the masks for health care workers. Let’s stay calm, listen to the experts, and follow the science,” he continued.

Protect yourself and your community from coronavirus with common sense precautions: wash your hands, stay home when sick and listen to the @CDCgov and local health authorities. Save the masks for health care workers. Let’s stay calm, listen to the experts, and follow the science.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 4, 2020

As of Wednesday afternoon, 13 U.S. states have reported confirmed or “presumptive cases” of the virus to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There have been 148 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the U.S., which includes 48 people who contracted the virus on a cruise ship. Nine deaths have been recorded in the U.S. so far.