21 Feb 2020 | 03:49 PM UTC
Kyrgyzstan: Government to suspend visas for Chinese nationals February 21 /update 1
Kyrgyzstan suspends issuance of new visas for Chinese nationals February 21; confirm travel itineraries
Event
The foreign ministry announced on Friday, February 21, that it would suspend the issuance of new visas to Chinese nationals due to health concerns related to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The policy will reportedly be reviewed at an unspecified later date.
As of Friday, there have been no confirmed cases of the virus in Kyrgyzstan.
Further international spread of the COVID-19 virus is to be expected over the coming days and weeks.
Context
The first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan (Hubei province, China). Human-to-human and patient-to-medical staff transmission of the virus have been confirmed. Many of the associated fatalities have been due to pneumonia caused by the virus.
Cases of the virus have been confirmed in 31 countries and territories worldwide. Virus-screening and quarantining measures are being implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions. On February 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the COVID-19 outbreak is a "very grave threat."
Pneumonia symptoms include dry cough, chest pain, fever, and labored breathing. Pneumonia can be contagious and can be transmitted from human to human. The influenza virus, or the flu, is a common cause of viral pneumonia.