Health Ministry geared up against coronavirus

Health Ministry officials are fully prepared to implement a coronavirus management protocol that has been drawn up, should the virus affect the local population, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Monday.

A recently-formed Infectious Diseases Monitoring Unit is closely observing the virus’ development, Ioannou added.

“We are following the guidelines of the World Health Organization, as issued so far,” Ioannou said, noting that the latest update, which involved the management protocol, was received on Sunday.

“Essentially, the protocols for dealing with such situations have been activated, and all medical professionals have been informed on the procedure to be followed in case of a suspected or confirmed incident,” Ioannou added.

Hospitals, the Ambulance Service, and all other medical professionals have also received precise instructions in the event that the coronavirus reaches the island.

The Health Minister added that all passengers arriving at Cyprus entry points, such as ports and airports, from China via other airports will be required to fill in a questionnaire that has been prepared.

The protocol can be activated if any passenger is suspected of being a coronavirus carrier.

The new coronavirus, which initially emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, had killed roughly 80 people in China by Monday, while a sum of nearly 3,000 people were confirmed as infected, 2,744 of which were recorded within China. Last week, three cases of the virus were confirmed in France.