Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government will evacuate Russian nationals from China next week, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The move came about a day after Russian health officials confirmed two cases of coronavirus in two Siberian regions. Those new cases involve Chinese nationals, RT reported.
A World Health Organization (WHO) official warned other governments to prepare for “domestic outbreak control” amid the coronavirus epidemic that has prompted a number of countries to suspend travel to China.
Last week, the U.N. organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared a global public health emergency in light of the outbreak.
The declaration “flipped the switch” from being cautious to calling on governments to prepare for the possibility that the coronavirus might spread beyond their borders, Galea said. The majority of cases outside China have been people who have recently traveled to Wuhan, a city that was placed on lockdown and quarantine by Chinese regime officials.
There are eight cases in the United States as of Sunday, including seven who traveled to China and one person-to-person transmission. Those cases are in Massachusetts, California, Arizona, Illinois, and Washington State.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar last week declared a public health emergency and a temporary travel ban.