MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2020) The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday it was not necessary for the time being to introduce additional restrictions amid the China coronavirus outbreak other than a regular set of containment measures, which should include exit screening at airports.
"For the moment, WHO does not recommend any broader restrictions on travel or trade. We recommend exit screening at airports as part of a comprehensive set of containment measures," WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said at a Geneva meeting of WHO Emergency Committee on Novel Coronavirus.
"All countries should have in place measures to detect cases of coronavirus, including at health facilities," Ghebreyesus stressed.
The WHO chief also said he would not hesitate "to reconvene the committee at a moment's notice - anytime."
The unknown type of pneumonia was first detected in Wuhan in late December. Chinese experts later tentatively determined that this was a new strain of the coronavirus, currently being labeled as 2019-nCoV or Novel Coronavirus.
As of earlier in the day, there are reportedly more than 600 confirmed cases in China and 17 recorded deaths. Confirmed cases have also been recorded in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
