After the outbreak of coronavirus in China, which has claimed 25 lives and has infected 830 people so far, the Indian Embassy in Beijing said it is closely monitory the ‘evolving situation’ and also launched two hotline numbers on Friday.
“We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in China, including advisories issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in this connection. The relevant Chinese authorities have assured all assistance to residents of Wuhan, including food supply, the embassy was quoted as saying by news agency the ANI.
The hotline numbers (+8618612083629 and +8618612083617) are for those who have any queries regarding the virus outbreak. The embassy is in touch with Chinese authorities in Beijing and Wuhan, and also Indians in the central Chinese province of Hubei from where 24 coronavirus related deaths have been reported, ANI reported.
The moves come after the embassy received multiple queries from Indians in Hubei and their relatives in India, according to ANI.
Meanwhile, the WHO has said it considers it is still too early to declare coronavirus as a public health emergency of international concern given its restrictive and binary nature.
It was a “bit too early” to consider the outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern,” WHO Emergency Committee panel chair Didier Houssin said after the body met in Geneva.
“Make no mistake, this is now an emergency in China, but this has not yet become a global health emergency,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, on Thursday (early Friday China-time) after an emergency meeting of the organisation in Geneva.
“It has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one,” he said.