'Always a risk:' Travelers concerned about coronavirus, but take necessary steps to be safe

Heather Cote

MILWAUKEE -- A Chicago woman is the second person in the United States to be infected with the new strain of coronavirus out of Wuhan, China. This comes as five U.S. airports are screening travelers from Wuhan.

The outbreak -- which began in December -- has officials and some travelers on high alert.

"It's always a risk to catch whatever is currently out there," said Heather Cote, a traveler headed to Maine.

Mutulu Sheazz

The death toll from the new strain of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) continues to climb, but at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on Friday, Jan. 24, some passengers said they were not worried.

"No, no concerns," said Mutulu Sheazz, a traveler headed to Atlanta.

Concerns were growing for others, though, as the disease inches closer to home.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Anna Patterson

"It makes me a little bit worried right now, because my layover is in Chicago," said Anna Patterson, who was traveling to Minneapolis.

In Chicago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the second case of coronavirus in the U.S. The first was out of Washington State.

In the meantime, dozens of people are being monitored for the virus in at least 22 states. That includes six students at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

UW-Platteville

Mac Weast

Currently, five U.S. airports are screening travelers from Wuhan -- including Chicago O'Hare and Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta.

"Everybody knows that airports aren't the cleanest to begin with, so that's concerning," said Mac Weast, a Mukwonago resident.

With still so many unanswered questions about the respiratory illness, frequent travelers, like Heather Cote, are getting ahead of it -- in an effort to stay healthy.

Mitchell International Airport

"I work in hospitals when I'm traveling, so that increases my risk even more," Cote said. "All we can do is wear a mask if you have a mask, wash your hands, be very aware of what you're touching."

Representatives with Mitchell International Airport, the City of Milwaukee Health Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Marquette University tell FOX6 News they are following guidelines when it comes to coronavirus. Again, there are currently no cases of it in Wisconsin.