WHILE the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against travel restrictions, more countries have closed their borders to arrivals from China to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The US and Australia said they would deny entry to all foreign visitors who had recently visited China, the BBC is reporting.
Russia, Japan, Pakistan and Italy have announced similar restrictions.
But WHO is advising against such moves. On Friday, its head said, “Travel restrictions can cause more harm than good by hindering info-sharing, medical supply chains and harming economies.”
The WHO also recommended screening at official border crossings, saying that closing borders could accelerate the spread of the virus, with travellers entering countries by unofficial means, the BBC stated.
The death toll from the new virus, officially called 2019-nCov, currently stands at 259 with about 12,000 cases confirmed.
Countries with confirmed cased include: Japan14, Thailand 14, Singapore 13, Australia 9, Taiwan 9, Malaysia 8, South Korea 7, USA 7, Cambodia 7, Finland 7, France 6, Germany 5, Vietnam 5, United Arab Emirates 4, Canada 3, Italy 2, Russia 2, UK 2, India 1, Nepal 1, Philippines 1 and Sri Lanka 1.
