Published 16:17 IST, January 29th 2020
Chinese Foreign Minister pledges to ensure safety of foreigners amid Coronavirus outbreak
Chinese FM, Wang Yi on January 29 told his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha that China would continue to make sure the safety of all foreigners.
Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi on January 29 told his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha that China would continue to make sure the safety of all foreign nationals in the country amid the widespread outbreak of the deadly new coronavirus, as per reports.
The foreign ministry of China released a statement that said Wang Yi thanked his South Korean counterpart for her willingness to provide necessary assistance. It further stated that China will continue to boost its cooperation with the international community with a sense of responsibility and adhering to the principles of openness.
China to take preventive measures: Wang Yi
Wang added that China is taking preventive measures to ensure the safety of all foreigners in the country, including people from South Korea. The number of people infected by the deadly Coronavirus outbreak has risen to nearly 6,000 in China, reports on Wednesday said. The virus originating from China's Wuhan has claimed the lives of 132 people in the country, while 5,974 new cases have been confirmed.
By the end of Monday, a total of 4,515 cumulative confirmed cases of novel virus had been reported in Hubei, while 2,567 patients are hospitalised, with 563 in severe conditions and 127 in critical conditions, the Hubei Provincial Health Commission said on Tuesday. Hospitals across the province received 31,934 fever patients on Monday, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Public health experts in Hong Kong had warned on Monday that there could be thousands of more carriers of this new and deadly virus from China, despite sweeping efforts to contain it.
More than 50 million locked down in Wuhan
As the disease continues to spread rapidly, the health authorities around the world are taking action to prevent a global epidemic, with cases reported in Australia, France, the United States and several Asian countries besides China.
The US and Japan airlifted hundreds of their nationals on Wednesday from China's Wuhan, which is the epicentre of the fatal virus. More than 50 million people have been locked down in and around Wuhan, in a bid by authorities to stop an infection that is spreading swiftly across the world.
Thousands of foreigners are among those trapped in the city, and many countries are planning to get rescue their nationals. Moreover, many countries have begun screening of Coronavirus at every international airport in order to prevent it from spreading. Cases reported in countries have arranged isolation rooms in hospitals.
(with inputs from agencies)
Updated 16:17 IST, January 29th 2020