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Watchdog warns Russians against visiting Chinese city over coronavirus outbreak

Tourists should refrain from trips to Wuhan, according to Rospotrebnadzor

MOSCOW, January 21. /TASS/. The Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being (Rospotrebnadzor) has recommended tourists going to China to observe precautionary measures and refrain from trips to Wuhan over the outbreak of a new coronavirus there, the watchdog’s press service said.

"Rospotrebnadzor recommends planning trips to China in advance and refraining from trips to Wuhan until the situation stabilizes there," it said, noting that the service was closely monitoring the situation.

Those Russians traveling to China should check the epidemiological situation in the country and should not visit markets where animals and seafood are sold as well as zoos and other animal events. Besides, they should drink only bottled water, eat heat-treated meals and wash hands after visiting places of mass gatherings and before eating food.

In case there are the first signs of a suspected disease, they should seek medical assistance. When visiting medical facilities in Russia, they should inform doctors about the time and place where they had stayed in China.

On December 31, the Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization about the outbreak of a new type of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan in central China. On January 7, Chinese specialists determined the virus behind the infection - coronavirus 2019-nCoV. All suspected cases of new pneumonia were tested for the coronavirus.

Chinese authorities confirmed on Tuesday 291 cases of infection with coronavirus and six deaths. The virus has been registered in Wuhan, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities across the country.