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Bellevue boy returns home after being stranded in China amid coronavirus outbreak

Coronavirus cases worldwide now top 20,000 as of Monday evening.

Airlines are cancelling more flights to and from China. Plus, the U.S. Department of State issued a warning Sunday to not travel to all of China, and told those in the country to try to leave.

The complications had a 9-year-old Bellevue boy stuck in China.

“Who do I have to scream at to get my son home?” said David Neer, who is Daniel’s dad.

That’s the frustration he was dealing with after hearing his son and ex-wife’s flight out of Shanghai was canceled hours before check in.

“That was Hainan Airline. So she was pretty freaked out,” Neer said.

He said the airline told him the next available flight was months away.

“The big thing I'm worried about is my son being out of school for three months. When the airline is telling him that the next flight possible is late April. That's just crazy,” he said.

Daniel went to China with his mom to visit grandparents for Chinese New Year -- right before the novel coronavirus took off.

“For the most part, the two weeks they've been there his mom has had him self-quarantined at a relative's house almost the whole time,” Neer said.

Kids at Sea-Tac Airport have heard about the new virus too and are protecting themselves with masks.

“It’s really hot for example, and sometimes I don't really like it, but I know it's for my own good,” said 11-year-old Alyssa Kim, who was traveling to Seattle to be part of the "Frozen" musical.

She said it’s got to be tough being in Daniel’s situation.

“I feel just sad for him, really bad for him, he obviously wants to go back to his family,” she said.

There are at least 425 deaths reported in China and one death in the Philippines as of Monday evening.

There are 11 confirmed cases in the U.S. The first case, a man from Snohomish County, has now been released from Providence Hospital and is quarantined at home.

As for Daniel, his dad said his family managed to find a way home for him by booking a new flight on Eva Air, flying him first out of mainland China to Taiwan.

“He's been a little scared,” Neer said.

Seattle travel analyst Steve Danishek said the impact on travel is already on par with the SARS epidemic and could surpass it.

“It’s big, it’s going to be uncomfortable, it's going to be disruptive,” Danishek said.

He said passengers leaving China by way of other countries need to make sure authorities here know.

“It’s up to the person – it’s the person's responsibility to alert authorities they've been through an infected area,” Danishek said.

Daniel's dad says they've already been in contact with the state's health department, and said Daniel will be under self-quarantine for two more weeks at home.

“He’ll be doing as much homework as I can come up with for him,” Danishek said.

All flights out of China will be routed to just 11 airports across the United States with SEA being one of them.

The U.S. government has added more screening measures and the capacity to quarantine patients.