BELIZ CITY, Thurs. Jan. 30, 2020– The coronavirus that was discovered at the end of last month in Wuhan, China, has claimed 213 lives in China and has spread to more than a dozen countries, including the United States. Almost 10,000 persons are now infected with the virus, according to the latest update from the World Health Organization (WHO). The most of those infected are in China, which have quarantined millions of its citizens in order to try to contain the spread of the virus.

Today, the WHO declared the coronavirus a world health emergency.

The Belize Ministry of Health issued a press release today, saying, “The Ministry will be following the developments in this regard so that the relevant changes in terms of response will be mirrored on the ground as they evolve.”

“The Caribbean region still remains at low risk and the declaration of the PHEIC does not mean that there are any changes in terms of travel bans or restrictions. The Ministry of Health continues ongoing discussions with CARPHA and PAHO regional and country offices to keep everyone abreast of the regional response. The Ministry and its partners are monitoring all epidemiological information and surveillance activities in relation to 2019-nCoV.

The Ministry is following a case of interest in the Corozal District, but to date, this region, including Belize, has no confirmed cases of (2019-nCoV).

It is the middle of flu season; therefore, the public is advised to make every effort to reduce the spreading of the flu and other viruses, including the (2019-nCoV), by practicing proper hand-washing hygiene,” the Ministry of Health release said.