The spread of the new coronavirus, which causes a type of pneumonia that has escaped from the borders of China, has caused global concern, with cases appearing in Russia, USA, and many Asian countries.
Deaths from the new coronavirus have so far risen to 17, with more than 571 confirmed cases in China.
Chinese officials warn that the virus is transmitted from person to person, adapting and mutating.
Chinese authorities have decided to quarantine the nine million inhabitants of the city of Wuhan, from where the deadly coronavirus began, suspending direct rail and air connections to it.
The World Health Organization will decide today whether to sound a global alarm. If it does, it will be the sixth time an international epidemic alert has been issued in the last decade.
In the morning, the EU Health Safety Committee will meet. to assess the risks and measures to be taken.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou said the EU was ready to adopt rapid and effective measures if necessary.
One country after another is taking precautionary measures with enhanced airport surveillance, travel instructions and strict recommendations to its citizens.
Many European airports are already undergoing fever tests when passengers board international flights, as there is heavy traffic due to Chinese New Year holidays with hundreds of millions of Chinese traveling to popular destinations in Europe or the US, which causes additional concern.
Experts are vigilant in conjunction with the adoption of the necessary precautionary measures for public health.
The United States has put in place an effective plan to curb the new coronavirus epidemic from China, said US President Donald Trump.
Sixteen people who came in contact with the first confirmed case of the virus, detected in the US, have been placed under medical supervision.
Source: sigmalive