People wear face masks to avoid COVID-19 infection at Kuala Lumpur International Airport of Malaysia on January 29 (Photo: AFP/VNA) Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The outbreak of the new coronovirus (COVID-19) has yet to reach a crisis level and been well under control in Malaysia sothere is no need to raise alarm, said a Malaysian official.
MalaysianMinister of Health Dzulkefly Ahmad made the statement on February 12, refering to a World Health Organisation(WHO) advisory which urged Malaysia to take necessary precautions against thevirus.
The advisoryfrom WHO regional director for the Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai may cause abit of anxiety among Malaysians, Ahmad said.
The ministerbelieved if the situation hits such level, Malaysia is prepared to face it andhave the capacity to handle it.
Malaysia hasso far conducted tests on 550 cases with close contact with COVID-19 infected people and the number of positive cases in the countryremained unchanged at 18, three of which have been discharged from hospital.
To contain thespread of the virus, Malaysia has suspended granting of visas for all residentsfrom China’s Hubei province, including its capital Wuhan, the epicentre of theepidemic.
Last week, thecountry announced it would extend its temporary travel ban on Chinese nationalsto all other provinces put under lockdown by the Chinese government./.
VNA
