Travel restrictions for Washington state? Trump says it's possible 'if an area gets too hot'

A day after President Trump announced a partial ban on travel from Europe in response to the growing coronavirus crisis, he was asked by a reporter if domestic travel restrictions are possible for hard hit areas like Washington state and California.

According to The New York Times, the president said it hasn't been discussed, but "if somebody gets a little bit out of control, if an area gets too hot," then it's possible.

The off-the-cuff remarks had some people on high alert, but it's too soon to know whether those kinds of restrictions will be necessary as the situation evolves.

A spokesperson for Gov. Jay Inslee's office said they are regularly communicating with Vice President Mike Pence's office, and there has been no talk of travel restrictions to Washington state.

But our own members of Congress, who are in session even though the Capitol is closed to the public, acknowledged the risk of frequent travel between D.C. and Washington state.

"Flying back and forth is not the smartest thing for us to be doing," U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Seattle Democrat, said.

For now, officials are hopeful that the social distancing efforts in place -- school closures, telecommuting, quarantines and isolation -- will stave off the virus's rapid spread and help to "flatten the curve" and not overwhelm our hospitals and health care systems.

Only time will tell.