Kuwaitis urged to refrain from going to Shanghai

BEIJING, Jan 29 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's General Consul in Shanghai Meshaal Al-Shemali on Wednesday called on Kuwaiti citizens to abstain from traveling to Chinese city of Shanghai currently due to spread of the new coronavirus strain.
Al-Shemali said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that all Kuwaiti nationals who are currently present in Shanghai and surrounding districts should contact the consulate on the following phone number: 008613291201792.
The general consul indicated that he made the call after the local administration in Shanghai declared a state of emergency and enforced a series of precautions, such as closing public facilities, to limit spread of the virus.
Chinese authorities announced earlier on Wednesday that death toll of the epidemic outbreak reached 132 and figure of those infected amounted to 5,974 in 31 regions and districts throughout the Asian nation.
The virus, suspected to have originated in markets that sell sea food and wild animals in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has spilled over to Beijing, Shanghai, and other nations, namely the United States of America, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. (end) mab.rk