Coronavirus: China says protecting foreigners
Dar es Salaam. China says it is making concerted efforts to ensure the safety of foreign nationals in the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The Chinese embassy in Dar es Salaam said in a statement yesterday that some municipalities were providing foreign national with protective gear and treatment.
Areas where the services are available include Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Xinjiang.
A 24-hour hotline for foreign nationals and students has also been set up in Hubei Province, which is the epicentre of the outbreak.
“The virus is unprecedented, so are the measures we have taken. In the face of the epidemic, there are four key words: stay calm, rest assured, be confident and stay patient,” the statement said.
The embassy also cautioned against spreading “misinformation” about the virus, saying it only served to fuel fear and panic.
“The Chinese government is sharing information related to the virus in an open and transparent manner. Please do not believe those rumours and keep informed by official and reliable sources.”
No confirmed or suspected case of novel coronavirus infection had been reported among Tanzanian citizens in China by Monday, and no such case had been reported in Tanzania either.
Earlier in the week, a video began circulation on social media showing youth identified as Tanzanian students pleading with the government to bring them back home.
The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the safest way for foreign nationals in Wuhan was to stay put and ensure effective self-protection. He cautioned against “hasty movement”, saying it could lead to more uncertainty following confirmed cases among some foreign evacuees.
The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak surged past 1,000 in China yesterday as the WHO warned that the epidemic poses a “very grave” global threat.
The WHO was holding a conference in Geneva on combatting the virus as Beijing struggled to contain a disease that has now infected more than 42,000 and reached some 25 countries.
Another 108 deaths were reported yesterday – the first triple-digit daily rise since the virus emerged in late December.
“With 99 percent of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” Dr Tedros said.
Chinese authorities have locked down millions of people in a number of cities, while several governments have banned arrivals from China and major airlines have suspended flights in a bid to keep the disease away from their shores.
Additional reporting by AFP
