Health officials warned Tuesday coronavirus will likely spread in the U.S. February 25, 2020, 7:35 PM4 min read
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged for the second straight day, tumbling more than 800 points, as health officials warned the novel coronavirus likely will spread throughout communities in the U.S.
The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all had fallen about 3% through early-afternoon trading on Tuesday.
The losses have been widespread. American Express, Dow Inc., Visa, Boeing and United Technologies Corp. were among the worst performers on Tuesday, all falling more than 3%.
Tech companies including Apple, which produce goods in China and rely on that market for sales, also suffered. The travel sector, including cruise operators and airlines, also took a hit.
Tuesday’s losses come after the Dow suffered its worst single-day losses in more than two years on Monday, plummeting more than 1,000 points.
Health officials warned Americans on Tuesday to prepare for “significant disruption” to their lives as a result of the virus, saying it’s not a matter of if, but when it spreads in communities in the U.S.
The fresh warnings come as the virus has also spread rapidly outside of China, including communities in Italy, Iran and South Korea.
A handful of U.S. and international companies already have begun to feel the financial impact of the outbreak that has stifled the world’s second-largest economy.
ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis contributed to this report.
