China's Coronavirus may help boost US jobs, says US Secretary of Commerce

The deadly Coronavirus which has claimed the lives of 170 people and infected over 7,700 people in China could force companies to amend their supply chains, and may potentially return some jobs to the United States, said the US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Thursday.

Ross expressed sympathy for victims of Coronavirus and their families.

“But the fact is, it does give businesses yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain, on top of all the other things,” he said during an interview with Fox Business Network.

Ross further said, “It’s another risk factor that people need to take into account, so I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America - some to the US, probably some to Mexico.”

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China-US relations

While Coronavirus has not been declared a worldwide health emergency, it has risked the global economy considering China’s position as the world’s second-largest economy after the United States.

China has locked down Wuhan, along with other cities in the Hubei province, from where the first case was reported. Major international companies have also closed their China operations, and airlines have suspended China-bound flights.

Earlier this month, the US and China had agreed on a Phase 1 trade deal, which President Donald Trump touted as helping fulfill his 'America First' campaign pledge with an aim to boost the US economy and workers.

The deal proved to be helpful in markets at the time, although many key issues were left unresolved and pushed to planned Phase 2 discussions.

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US screens Americans evacuated from China

The 195 Americans who were rescued from the Wuhan amid the rapid increase of Coronavirus outbreak are undergoing three days of testing and monitoring at a California military base to ensure there are no signs of the illness, officials said on Wednesday.

The people evacuated from China on the US chartered plane have not been isolated, Dr Chris Braden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters after the plane landed at the March Air Reserve Base.

If passengers from the chartered flight show no signs of the virus and leave the base, they will continue to be monitored by public health officials at their destinations for the remainder of a period lasting 14 days.

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