Coronavirus: China designates about 230 hospitals to contain spread
Top officials of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Guangdong People’s government have reached a consensus to quickly contain the coronavirus before it gets out of hands, with about 230 hospitals in Guangdong designated to handle cases related to the virus.
The consensus was reached during a meeting held at the Nigeria Consulates General in Guangzhou, January 30, 2020, concerning the fast spreading novel Corona virus epidemic.
The officials who offered some pieces of advice to individuals in a one page press statement said that all should stay calm as panic would cause more causalities than the virus itself.
The statement reads, “You should have full confidence in the ability of the Chinese government, its strong leadership and implementation capacity to successfully manage the virus and protect foreigners as well as locals. Inform your citizens to follow directives issued by the Health authorities. 230 hospitals in Guangdong have been designated to handle cases related to the virus.
Temperature checks have been set up at entry/exit of expressways. Entry/exit quarantine stations will be positioned with health professionals. Citizens with symptoms will be isolated for observation. Inconvenience may be caused by this but measures are for health and safety of citizens.”
It further states that there is no pressing need to withdraw foreign nationals from Guangdong province as measures taken so far and supplies are good and effective, while informing restrictions and decrease in number of flights, coaches and train from Hong Kong to Chinese mainland.
“12 critical cases, 34 severe, 259 stable and no death has been recorded so far. Only 3 foreigners had reported sick in Guangdong. They had travelled to Wuhan. One still in hospital, 2 discharged.
The 3 did not want to liaise with their consulates but one did in the end and report made to the consulate. FAO promised to notify concerned consulates if any foreign individual falls sick and indicates so. While the officials acknowledged that consulates pay close attention to the health of their nationals, they advise that consulates should notify Chinese authorities if any foreign national is sick.
The officials promised to regularly brief the Consulates General and inform that the Guangdong Government holds daily press briefing”, the statement read.
It also informed that latest information concerning the virus is published on the website of the Guangdong Health Commission, with regard to the officials of the Provincial Information Office and Provincial Health Commission who were on ground to ensure that the consistent efforts by the Chinese Government led by President XI Jinping to contain the virus, including the setting up of the Leading Group led by the premier, Li Keqiang, yields positively.
Also, Hubei Province is now the focus of the Central leadership and containment of the epidemic, the priority involving leading experts, academics and listening to advice of the World Health Organization.
“Central, provincial and local governments care about the foreign population in China. To that extent, the Guangdong provincial government has also established a leading Group for the management of these efforts at the provincial level. Vice Governor Juang is the head of the leading group on the epidemic in GD. The FAO of Guangdong has equally established a special task force to keep in contact with all Consulates and the Military personnel are now involved in the efforts to contain the epidemic”, it further disclosed
In view of the recent development, the Consulate General of Nigeria in Guangzhou is said to be monitoring the developments on the Coronavirus very closely.
Similarly, the Consulate along with the Embassy of Nigeria in Beijing and other Nigerian Missions in China are continuously in close contact with the Nigerian community in China.
At a brief meeting with the host authority, officials of the Nigeria Consulates in China assured that they are committed to ensuring that all Nigerian Citizens are safe and will continue to keep Nigerians in China informed of developments as they unfold.
Meanwhile, even as a wechat group comprising all Nigerians has been set up for this purpose, officials of the Nigeria Consulates in China, urged Nigerians in China to join the group for easy communication.
