Germany has confirmed its first case of the new virus that has infected thousands in China
January 28, 2020, 7:01 AM
3 min read
BEIJING -- The Latest on the outbreak of a new virus from China (all times local):
2:45 p.m.
Germany has confirmed its first case of the new virus that has infected thousands of people in China.
The health ministry in the southern state of Bavaria said late Monday that the man from Starnberg, south of Munich, is “in a clinically good condition.”
Officials said the man is being medically isolated and people who were in close contact with him are being informed about possible symptoms and hygiene measures.
The ministry said it considers the risk to the general population in Bavaria to be “low.”
Authorities planned to hold a news conference in Munich on Tuesday where they would release further details.
Nearly all of the dozens of cases outside China are among people who recently traveled from the central city of Wuhan where the outbreak began last month.
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2 p.m.
North Korea said it’s taking “emergency steps” to prevent the spread of a new virus from neighboring China.
The North’s main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said Tuesday the country is strengthening quarantine measures at airports, ports and border areas and conducting a medical surveillance of those who return from overseas trips.
The paper also says North Korea’s health authorities have “urgently” produced related hygiene documents and distributed them to medial facilities.
North Korea hasn’t officially reported any cases of the new coronavirus. China has confirmed thousands of cases, and other countries have confirmed the virus in dozens of people who traveled from the central Chinese city where the outbreak began last month.
Tour operators in Beijing said last week North Korea had banned foreign tourists as a precaution against the virus.
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9:30 a.m.
China on Tuesday reported 25 more deaths from a new viral disease as the U.S. government prepared to evacuate Americans from the city at the center of the outbreak.
Authorities reported 24 deaths in Hubei province, where the virus first was detected in December, and one in Beijing, the Chinese capital.
No national total was immediately announced but with 81 deaths reported through Monday, that would make the toll at least 106.
The Chinese government has locked down whole cities in Hubei, isolating some 50 million people in a sweeping anti-disease effort.
The U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, the city at the center of the outbreak, was preparing to fly its diplomats and some other Americans out of the country.
Japan, Mongolia, France and other governments also were preparing evacuations.
