Angola: Quarantine imposed for China arrivals; 40 under observation for virus

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Angola: Quarantine imposed for China arrivals; 40 under observation for virus

5:02 CAT | 06 Feb 2020

File photo: DW

Angola has imposed mandatory quarantine for all passengers arriving from China and currently has under observation 40 Angolan nationals who have returned on flights in recent days, the country’s foreign minister has announced.

According to the minister, Manuel Augusto, quarantine applies to anyone arriving from China, whether citizens of Angola or other countries, or who have been in contact with anyone infected, to prevent contagion from the virus that has so far killed 563 in China.

“We already have a reference hospital in Barra do Kwanza where there are 40 citizens who arrived on flights a few days ago,” Augusto said.

He said that the government “is complying with international standards” and putting the conditions in place to safeguard public health, while acknowledging that “the measures are not nice” and “could disturb economic activity” because there are “partners and workers who may be covered by this need for quarantine”.

But public health is the priority, he stressed, “and therefore the government will be firm in implementing this measure”.

He also stated that Angola is working with the Chinese authorities and its own diplomats and consular staff in China and remains in permanent contact with Angolan nationals resident in that country.

“The thing we most recommended is to rely on the measures that health authorities are taking in order to be able to cope with this epidemic,” Augusto said, adding that for now the need for repatriation of Angolan nationals was ruled out. He stressed, however, that the government has been monitoring all situations relating to its citizens in China.

China today raised to 563 the death toll from pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), with more than 28,000 infected. The virus was first detected last December in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, in central China, which is now under lockdown.

In the last 24 hours, there have 73 deaths and 3,694 new cases.

The first person to die of the new coronavirus outside China was a Chinese national in the Philippines.

In addition to mainland China and Macau and Hong Kong, there are confirmed cases of infection in more than 20 countries. The most recent of these was identified in Belgium on Tuesday.

The World Health Organisation on 30 January declared an international public health emergency, which calls for the adoption of prevention and coordination measures on a global scale.

Source: Lusa