Death toll surpasses 200, Vietnam suspends visas for Chinese nationals on new virus fears

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked to halt issuing visas to Chinese tourists, limiting cross-border trade on these days to stamp out the viral outbreak.

Vietnam also decided to stop sending Vietnamese workers to China while ordering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to evacuate citizens out of the Coronavirus-hit areas.

Relevant ministries and authorities were urged to organise strict entry and exit control at all border gates while the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam had suspended all flights between Vietnam and the virus-hit areas.

Vietnam has established 45 quick response teams and a channel to connect 21 hospitals in preventing the epidemic.

The virus has been spreading quickly from mainland China to Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, the U.S., South Korea, France, Germany, Canada, Vietnam, UAE, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, India and the Philippines.

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public-health emergency of international concern Thursday as the first person-to-person transmission of the virus was reported in the U.S.

As of Friday, the number of deaths in China reaches 213, while confirmed infections near 10,000, according to Wall Street Journal. Vietnam confirmed five infected cases. Three of the patients are Vietnamese nationals. One Chinese tourist tested positive with the virus has been cured.

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