White House suspends public tours amid coronavirus

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Trump: We will suspend all travel from Europe to US for the next 30 days

President Trump addresses coronavirus threat from the Oval Office.

The White House announced Thursday that it is suspending all public tours, as the outbreak of coronavirus continues to disrupt events and businesses nationwide.

The White House Visitors Office's information line has a recorded message that informs callers of the update, which does not specifically mention coronavirus.

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"Out of an abundance of caution, all White House tours have been temporarily suspended, effective immediately," the message said as of Thursday morning.

So far, the Capitol campus remains open for visitors, with hand sanitizer stations set up to help combat the spread of the virus, but Fox News has been told that tours may be suspended in the near future as discussions have taken place to limit activities on the premises to the most "essential."

Fox News is told that House and Senate leaders, along with officials from both sides of the Capitol, are likely to make a formal announcement in the next day or so over what activities at the Capitol are considered essential.

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When Fox News inquired about whether congressional tours would be first to go, one informed source replied “yes.”

Fox News' Matt Leach and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.