White House not restricting activities due to virus: spokeswoman

President Donald Trump's spokeswoman on Monday denied reports that White House staff are being forced to restrict activities as a precaution against the coronavirus.

Stephanie Grisham said it was "business as usual" in the White House, despite fears that the COVID-19 epidemic around the world could threaten Trump and other senior officials.

"Reports that the White House has issued formal guidelines to staff instructing them to limit in-person interactions and meetings are completely false," Grisham said in a statement.

"I want to remind the media once again to be responsible with all reporting," she said.

The outbreak is spreading increasingly rapidly around the United States, raising questions of a potential impact not just on Washington's political circles but the growing election campaign.

Trump says he has no plans to cut back on his steady rhythm of large political rallies and he continues to downplay the relative seriousness of the epidemic.

"Last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on," Trump tweeted Monday.

"At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!"