
US dining halls and restaurants will be closed on Thanksgiving as many people try to tackle the virus, according a leading food expert.
A total of 20 million people will be on their feet when the US officially shuts down, including those in the Midwest and South, according the American Heart Association.
Dr John Holmstrom, a senior lecturer at the University of Illinois, said a lack of preparedness would put people at risk.
“If the virus goes out, then it is going to spread across the world and people are going to have to start going to restaurants,” he said.
“You could put people in the street, people are being bitten and you have to get them into a safe area.”
The US will be the first major country to declare a state of emergency and start closing its restaurants on Thanksgiving.
There are now nearly 10 million people living in states of emergency across the US, and more than 400,000 are in Texas, the state with the largest number of confirmed cases.
The US has been at high risk of a virus pandemic, with the majority of cases being traced back to Disneyland.
The first cases have been reported in California, where a man who had been in the country for two weeks died from the virus on Saturday.
More than 30 people were hospitalized in California on Sunday as the outbreak spread to Texas, and some people in New York and New Jersey were reported as sick.
In Minnesota, two people died and at least 20 were in critical condition after a man was hospitalized in Dallas.
The outbreak has been spread by the virus to other states, including Texas.
The White House has warned that the virus could spread to the US if it was not contained.
It is now also warning Americans not to eat Thanksgiving until the pandemic is under control.
“It is important to note that the majority (of the cases) are in the US,” the White House said.
The pandemic has now been in effect for nearly a week, and the death toll in Texas has risen to 23.
Texas has reported 17 confirmed cases, and four more have been linked to the outbreak.
The state has also reported more than 200 confirmed cases in other states and the District of Columbia.
The last confirmed case in the United States was in New Mexico, in 2000.