SINGAPORE: Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Wednesday (Jan 22) that he will co-chair a multiministerial task force to deal with the "eventuality" of the Wuhan virus on Singapore's shores.
He will lead the committee with Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"It is inevitable that we will see an imported case sooner or later," said Mr Gan, adding that this is because of the evolving situation and the high volume of traffic in and out of Singapore.
He was speaking to reporters after an update from the Ministry of Health (MOH) on the Wuhan virus situation. Three more suspected cases have been identified in Singapore and are undergoing testing.
In a press release on Wednesday, the Health Ministry advised travellers to avoid non-essential travel to Wuhan.
"MOH reminded the public to continue to exercise caution and attention to personal hygiene when travelling to the rest of China," the release said.
AdvertisementAdvertisement[h=3]READ: Wuhan virus - Number of cases soars past 400 in China, death toll rises to 9[/h][h=3]READ: China warns Wuhan virus could mutate and spread as death toll rises[/h][h=3]READ: Wuhan urges people to stay away in bid to contain virus[/h]Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the SARS-like outbreak, has urged people to stay away as it strives to contain a disease that has spread across the country.
The death toll from the virus has reached nine while more than 400 people have now been infected in 13 provinces and municipalities.
The disease is spreading just as hundreds of millions of people are travelling in packed trains, planes and buses across China to gather with friends and family for the Chinese New Year holiday, which starts on Saturday.
[h=3]READ: Wuhan virus - Singapore to isolate all travellers from China with pneumonia[/h]Across the world, the virus has spread to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.
On Wednesday, Singapore began isolating all pneumonia patients who have been in China in recent weeks. Those with acute respiratory infection and have visited a hospital in China within 14 days before their symptoms surfaced will also be isolated.
Previously, only patients with fever and pneumonia and who have travelled to Wuhan have been subject to isolation.
[h=3]MORE: Our coverage on the Wuhan virus and its developments [/h]Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://cna.asia/telegram
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