Washington, Feb 29 (AFP) The United States on Friday warned against non-essential travel to Italy, a top destination for US tourists, over the growing coronavirus epidemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "recommends that travellers avoid all non-essential travel to Italy. There is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas", it said in a statement.

The State Department raised its travel advice a notch for Italy to "reconsider travel", pointing to a "sustained community spread" of the virus there.

Italy has reported 650 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths -- the most in Europe from the epidemic that originated in China, which is by far the most affected country.

Italy has urged tourists not to stay away, even as nearly a dozen cities in the north are under a lockdown.

More than 5.6 million Americans visited Italy in 2018, the second highest of all nationalities after Germans, according to Italian statistics. (AFP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)