The Efforts Of World Countries To Fortify Themselves From Corona Virus

Medical mask illustration (unsplash)

JAKARTA - Since the world health organization (WHO) raised the status of the corona virus (COVID-19) to its highest level. A number of countries, such as Europe, the Middle East, and the United States (US), began issuing instructions regarding travel restrictions for foreign tourists.

It was previously reported that the US is starting to increase its surveillance of the coronavirus. Following the report of the first death toll from COVID-19 in Washington, on February 29.

In order to prevent the impact of COVID-19 from spreading further, the US Government finally banned large gatherings and restricted travel abroad.

"We know there will be more cases," said US Vice President Mike Pence.

Additional medical supervision is also carried out on tourists who come from Italy and South Korea, when visiting the US. In addition, the White House also issued a warning so that US citizens do not travel to areas affected by COVID-19 in the two countries.

Vice President Pence added that the entry ban on tourists from Iran will be extended to prohibit foreign nationals who have visited Iran in the past 14 days.

The US has also restricted travel on its southern border with Mexico. However, they still allow US citizens to travel throughout the country, including states that have recorded cases of the SARS-like virus.

At the same time, countries in South America, such as Ecuador also started reporting the first cases of COVID-19 in their country. Meanwhile, Mexico reported four cases of COVID-19 in which sufferers previously visited Italy.

European anticipation

European countries have also begun to impose restrictions on public events and gatherings. Like France which announced to ban meetings with 5,000 participants in confined spaces.

In addition, the marathon event which had 40,000 had to be canceled to minimize the disease. There are reported 130 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in France. A total of 12 people were successfully cured and 2 people died.

More than 700 tourists were quarantined at a hotel in the Canary Islands after several guests from Italy tested positive for the coronavirus.

Germany has also confirmed as many as 130 cases have been found in the country. No deaths have been reported, but a 47-year-old patient who is being treated in Dusseldorf, is in critical condition.

Schools and universities in Italy, which is experiencing Europe's worst disease outbreak, will continue to be closed for the second week in a row. Analysts have warned that the COVID-19 outbreak will leave Italy's economy fragile.

This is because many people do not work to protect themselves from viruses. Apart from the tourism sector, tourists canceled their trips to Italy and massive hotel cancellations have taken place. In Italy alone, as many as 1,694 cases of COVID-19 have been reported, 34 people have died and 83 people have been cured.

Corona illustration (pixabay)

Middle East on standby

Iraq has reported 13 cases of COVID-19 in the country and Qatar has also reported its first case on February 29. This shows that Saudi Arabia is the only country in the Middle East that is free from COVID-19.

The majority of countries in the Middle East that have contracted the virus have previously had citizens who had visited Iran or had contact with people who had visited Iran.

The Iranian government has ordered the closure of schools until Tuesday 3 March and extended the closure of universities. In addition, various events that involve large numbers of people such as concerts and sporting events are also prohibited from being held for a week.

Authorities have also banned visits to hospitals and nursing homes as the number of cases in Iran stands at nearly 600.

One member of the Iranian parliament, who was elected during elections held on February 21, has reportedly died of COVID-19. Several top officials such as the deputy health minister and vice president of Iran have also tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week.

Another country, Azerbaijan also reported that it had closed its borders with Iran for two weeks to prevent the spread of the virus. Two Azerbaijanis who traveled to Iran tested positive for the disease and have been quarantined.