Also a lot of the initial international spread was from Italy, like the first cases in the US were people returning from Italy.

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China had incredibly restrictive flight travel for areas with infection. Restrictions the U.S knowingly violated by extracting Americans in Wuhan including embassy staff. In fact WAPO reported on that very same fact:

But other Americans in Wuhan may finally get their chance to leave after the State Department said Thursday that it was arranging more flights to evacuate its citizens trapped in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

The extra flights will be provided beginning on or around Feb. 3 and will have capacity “on a reimbursable basis” for private citizens wishing to leave Wuhan, the State Department said in a message to U.S. citizens in China.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/stranded-in-wuhan-frustrated-americans-wait-to-be-evacuated--or-just-hunker-down/2020/01/30/3077f6ea-431a-11ea-abff-5ab1ba98b405_story.html

Some 530 Americans stuck in the Wuhan area were aboard two evacuation flights en route from China to the United States on Wednesday, after extended delays that appear to be linked to the political frictions between Beijing and Washington.

The two planes from Kalitta Air, an American cargo carrier, arrived at Wuhan airport late Tuesday. Photos from the airport at 7 a.m. local time Wednesday showed medical staff in protective equipment carrying out health checks on passengers in masks.

Some had been in the airport for 48 hours waiting for information, with speculation that flight authorizations had been delayed by Chinese authorities.

“Two planes have departed Wuhan en route to the United States,” a State Department spokesperson said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/were-like-refugees-americans-departing-virus-hit-wuhan-criticize-us-government-response/2020/02/04/be22a04a-47bf-11ea-91ab-ce439aa5c7c1_story.html