Published 04:40 IST, January 31st 2020
Donald Trump creates task force to monitor deadly Coronavirus
US President Donald Trump formed a Coronavirus task force in a bid to tackle with the spread of the deadly virus which has claimed the lives of 170 in China.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday formed a task force in a bid to tackle with the spread of the deadly Coronavirus which has claimed the lives of 170 people, infected over 7,700 others in China and has spread to nearly 20 countries, including India.
Led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, the task force is coordinated through the National Security Council, as informed by the White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
The Coronavirus task force includes subject matter experts from the White House, along with several US government agencies, and involves leading experts on infectious diseases in the US. Members of the task force have been holding meetings on a daily basis since Monday.
"In today's meeting, chaired by President Donald Trump, he charged the task force with leading the United States government's response to the novel 2019 Coronavirus and with keeping him apprised of developments," Grisham said.
Role of the Coronavirus task force
The task force will lead the US administration's efforts to monitor, control and curb the spread of Coronavirus while ensuring that the Americans get most accurate and timely health and travel information, Stephanie Grisham said. She added that President Donald Trump's top priority is the health and welfare of the Americans.
"That is why, in 2018, President Trump signed the National Biodefense Strategy, which improves the speed of action in situations such as this. The administration, led by the President's task force, will continue to work to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus," the White House Press Secretary added.
Labelled as 2019-nCoV, the virus has infected all the provinces in China, including the remote region of Tibet, essentially because of the travellers from Wuhan. The capital city of Hubei province in China is the epicentre of the epidemic.
Actions to contain the spread of Coronavirus
As the spread of the novel virus intensified, many countries, including India, have started evacuating their citizens from Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province.
A number of global airlines, including Air India, British Airways, Lion Air and IndiGo airlines have suspended their flights to Chinese cities as Beijing is struggling to contain the rapid spread of the virus.
India, the US, the UK and Germany have already issued advisories against travelling to China. Beijing too has advised the Chinese not to travel to home and abroad in view of the virus.
(With inputs from PTI)
Updated 04:40 IST, January 31st 2020