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After WHO decree, officials say Quintana Roo still coronavirus free

Cancun, Riviera Maya, Q.R. — In the wake of an international emergency decree for the spread of the new coronavirus, health officials in Quintana Roo say the state remains free of Wuhan pneumonia.

The announcement came from state officials after the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, decreed the international emergency for the spread of the new coronavirus.

“I declare a public health emergency of international concern in the face of the global 2019nCoV outbreak,” he said in a news conference after a WHO Emergency Committee meeting.

Ghebreyesus explained that the decision was made “not because of what happens in China, but because of what happens in other countries.”

The main concern of WHO, according to the director general, is that the virus reaches countries with a weaker health system.

In Quintana Roo, the Ministry of Health says training for personnel along with measures are in place for ports and airports, adding that information about the new virus is available for travelers both arriving in and leaving the country.

Quintana Roo officials say personnel from the Ministry of Health are in constant coordination with airlines and operational personnel of ports and airports, noting that a recent meeting was attended by 50 management personnel of security and airline operations, which are part of measures to prevent and detect in a timely manner, suspicious cases at international points of entry.

Secretary of Health, Alejandra Aguirre Crespo, says coordination between public and private authorities is essential in the strategy for international health surveillance, since airlines are the first to make contact with travelers.

He says their goal is to ensure the availability of supplies, medications and personnel, and that health professionals have updated information on the Coronavirus and the actions to be taken if a suspicious case arises.

According to WHO, representatives of the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China reported the current situation, saying there are now 7,711 confirmed and 12,167 suspected cases throughout the country.

Of the confirmed cases, 1,370 are severe and 170 people have died, while 124 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital. The WHO Secretariat provided an overview of the situation in other countries noting there are now 83 cases in 18 countries.

Of these, only seven had no history of travel in China. There has been human-to-human transmission in three countries outside China. One of these cases is severe and there have been no deaths.

WHO say the Committee does not recommend any travel or trade restriction based on the current information available.