WASHINGTON: The United States may be considering banning entry from Japan and South Korea, which have been hit by outbreaks of the new coronavirus, it has been learned.

"We're looking at a couple of countries--a few countries that have a little bit disproportionately high number" of patients, President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday, responding to a question about whether his government is considering expanding its current entry ban related to the new virus. "We're going to make that decision very soon," he added.

US television network CNN quoted a high-ranking US official as saying that Japan and South Korea may become subject to the entry ban.

The United States has banned foreigners who have been to China, the epicenter of the virus, in the past 14 days from entering US territory.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State on Friday raised its alert for trips to Italy, which has also been hit by an outbreak of the virus, to "reconsider travel," the second highest on its four-tier warning system. The travel alert for South Korea was raised to the same level on Wednesday, while that for Japan has been kept at the third-highest level of "exercise increased caution."

JIJI Press