CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES GUIDE
February 5, 2020 Category Announcements, Weekly
China is currently battling an outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce expresses sincere condolences to all those who have lost loved ones and sympathy to those who are ill and suffering as a result of the virus outbreak. We wish those who are ill a speedy recovery.
The latest statistics of cases and deaths can be consulted on Johns Hopkins University’s CSSE page: https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html
Foreign citizens are being evacuated from Wuhan, the center of the outbreak. Nine Belgian citizens and three Chinese family members arrived at Melsbroek airport on February 2 and have been quarantined at the military hospital in Neder-Over-Heembeek. More info of the repatriation on the VRT website:
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2020/02/02/belgen-worden-gerepatrieerd-uit-wuhan/
The info page of the Belgian federal authorities (in Dutch) is at www.info-coronavirus.be/nl In Belgium the reference lab to test for the corona virus is at the KULeuven. There are two reference hospitals to treat patients: Sint-Pieters hospital in Brussels and the University Hospital Antwerp.
Airlines of several countries – including the U.S. and Australia – have canceled flights to and from China. The prices of tickets on remaining flights – including those on Chinese airlines – have increased substantially. Several countries are prohibiting entry to foreigners arriving from China or having visited China in the past 14 days.Countries neighboring China have closed their borders. Passengers now traveling from China are practically obliged to fly to their country of citizenship, where they are likely to be quarantined for 14 days. This makes travel to and from China very cumbersome in the near future. More info on the impact on the airline industry is available on the website of Simply Flying: https://simpleflying.com/coronavirus-flight-cancellations/ and details of airlines canceling flights to and from China, countries and territories banning entry to travelers from China at:
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3048659/coronavirus-here-are-countries-and-airlines-restricting
Advice of the Beijing authorities can be found in a letter of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Beijing Municipal Government to non-Chinese visitors to Beijing: http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/Home/Notice/t1614925.htm
The Chinese New Year holiday, which was expected to end on January 31, has been extended to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In Beijing, the holiday has been extended till February 2, and the local authorities advice companies to allow their employees to work at home till February 9. Shanghai has extended the holiday till February 9, while in Hubei province the holiday will last at least till February 13.
Scientific information about the virus is available on the 2019-nCoV Resource Center page of the famous medical publication The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/coronavirus The World Health Organization (WHO) also has a special page on the virus: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Advice to the public about how to protect oneself against the virus is also available from the WHO:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
Advisory from Fiducia Management Consultants: “Coping with the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak”:
http://newsletter.fiducia-china.com/a/s/10966052-27e0ad38312cbfb50e37fa8cba2a1716/537754
Client Alert from Baker McKenzie: “What should employers in China be doing in the face of the coronavirus outbreak?”
https://f.datasrvr.com/fr1/120/84582/Baker_McKenzie_Client_Alert_-_Employment_-_What_should_employers_in_China_be_doing_in_the_face_of_the_coronavirus_outbreak_-_Feb_2020.pdf
Newsletter of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China on the coronavirus:
http://mailings.europeanchamber.com.cn/form.do?agnCI=1&agnFN=fullview&agnUID=1.71z.24v6.5y6m.dytdinkl97
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