Published 12:55 IST, February 8th 2020
Royal Caribbean cruise bans all China citizens amid coronavirus outbreak
In a bid to take preventive measures, a major cruise liner, Royal Caribbean on Feb 7 took extraordinary steps for banning citizens of China amid coronavirus.
In a bid to take preventive measures, a major cruise liner, Royal Caribbean on February 7 took extraordinary steps for banning citizens of China amid coronavirus outbreak. Royal Caribbean has cancelled eight cruises out of China through early March and is taking more precautionary steps because of the virus outbreak that began in China.CEO Richard Fain said Royal Caribbean will likely have to cancel more sailings in the future and that the outbreak will likely impact future bookings in China.
722 died, more than 31000 infected
The cancellation of the cruise line is up from just three last week. The Miami company said that it is now turning away from its boats anyone who has travelled from, to or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days. The death toll due to the deadly coronavirus in China has reached reportedly 722, according to the authorities on Saturday. According to the country's health officials, the number of people, who died of the deadly coronavirus in the Hubei province has risen to 699. The number of infected people has also increased to more than 31000.
Demand for protective gear 100 times higher
During the daily briefing on Friday, the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that there is a lack of protective gear and medical supplies in the region, with the cost of each, are up to 20 times higher. He said, "the world is facing severe disruption in the market for personal protective equipment. Demand is up to 100 times higher than normal and prices are up to 20 times higher. This situation has been exacerbated by widespread, inappropriate use of PPE outside patient care. As a result, there are now depleted stockpiles and backlogs of 4 to 6 months. Global stocks of masks and respirators are now insufficient to meet the needs of WHO and our partners."
Updated 12:55 IST, February 8th 2020