Washington DC: Former President of United States, Barack Obama suggested precautions to contain the spread of deadly coronavirus.
He asked residents of the US to listen to the federal agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wash hands and stay home when sick.
He also wrote, “Save the masks for health care workers”.
Death toll in US climbs to 11
Meanwhile, the overall coronavirus death toll in the US has increased to 11 with the first fatality outside Washington State.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration greatly relaxed testing rules allowing anyone who has symptoms like a fever, cough or breathing difficulty to receive a test if a doctor agrees.
“Ultimately, our objective is that any American is able to go to their doctor and any lab and get the coronavirus test,” Vice President Mike Pence said at a White House briefing on Wednesday.
1.5 million tests likely
The US government is saying 1.5 million tests will likely be possible this week in hospitals.
In addition, Pence said “every state health lab and University lab can now conduct a coronavirus test”.
Globally, more than 92,000 people have tested positive and 3,100 have died, the vast majority of them in China.