The Wuhan virus has taken everyone by shock and while the mortality rate hasn’t been as high as SARS at 10%, it is definitely increasing day by day.
China’s National Health Commission has just confirmed 25 more deaths due to the virus this morning, causing the death toll now to be 132.
125 deaths occurred in the province of Hubei, with 104 occurring within Wuhan.
And according to Chinese state media, there are now 5,974 confirmed cases in China alone.
It has been reported that there are 9,239 suspected cases in China, and 1,239 patients are in critical condition.
Looking at live updates provided by the World Health Organisation, the total number of people infected has reached 6,061.
Travel Measures
In order to help curb the virus from spreading any further, Singapore has imposed a travel ban on travellers from the Hubei province at 12pm today (29 January).
Visitors with Hubei travel history within the past 14 days and holders of PRC passports issued in Hubei will not be given entry into Singapore. They will also not be allowed to transit through Singapore.
Those who travel into Singapore after 12pm today will have to make their own arrangements with the airlines to travel out.
Those who are found to have symptoms will immediately be sent to local hospitals.
Quarantined
Other than preventing these visitors from entering Singapore, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has also announced that there will be a mandatory leave of absence for students and teachers who have travelled to China in the past 14 days.
Singapore has also converted a few areas to be used as quarantine centres, like the residential halls of NUS, NTU and SMU, as well as the Outward Bound Singapore camps in Pulau Ubin.
Those who have been quarantined and are self-employed will be given $100 a day, while those who are not self-employed will have the allowance given to their employers instead because the quarantine period will not come from their annual leave. This, however, only applies to Singapore-based employers, self-employed Singaporeans, and permanent residents, not tourists.
We can all only hope that all these measures help in curbing the spread of the coronavirus and fewer people get infected or lose their lives over it.
Stay safe and take care, everyone!
And if you’ve a mask, be sure to read up on how to wear a surgical mask correctly!
