MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. Russia’s consumer watchdog has developed a package of measures aimed at preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, the watchdog said in a statement on Monday.

"On January 24, 2020, the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare developed an ordinance by the Russian chief health officer ‘On measures to prevent the 2019-nCoV coronavirus infection’," the statement reads, adding that the document had been drawn up at the government’s instruction. "The ordinance contains major steps aimed at preventing the spread of the new coronavirus in Russia," the watchdog added.

The watchdog pointed out that it continued to keep a close eye on the situation.

On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. On January 7, Chinese experts identified the 2019-nCoV coronavirus as the cause of the disease.

According to recent data, over 2,700 cases of patients infected with the virus and 80 deaths have been confirmed in China. Coronavirus cases have also been reported in Australia, France, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States. However, the WHO has so far refrained from declaring a global health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak.