Despite the radical measures taken by the Chinese authorities, the coronavirus has gained ground and taken on an international dimension. On 23 January, the government decided to quarantine the entire city of WuhanThe population is forbidden to leave the Wuhan metropolitan area.
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This has resulted in immediate suspension of all rail and air services as well as road lines linking Wuhan to the rest of the country. L'airport of Wuhan is one of the largest in China. It arrived in 2018 in sixteenth position in the country, with traffic of over 24.5 million passengers. The airport has a high level of international activity, with scheduled and charter flights to some thirty cities around the world. Wuhan has a route to Paris CDG with three weekly frequencies (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), operated by Air France since 2012. In Europe, Wuhan is also linked to Istanbul, London-Heathrow and Rome-Fiumicino by China Southern.
La station of Wuhan is also isolated. It is part of the TGV connecting the city to the Chengdu-Shanghai line and to the north-south route Beijing-Canton-Hong Kong. All trains have also been suspended since this morning, as have the boats crossing the Yangtze River and the underground trains.
One third of all French investment in China
Wuhan is one of the country's major economic centres, home to a number of high-tech companies as well as being one of the main centres of theautomotive industry China. These include assembly lines for Dongfeng-Peugeot Citroën, General Motors and Honda. There are some fifty French companies including Accor, Total and Alsthom. In 2015, the city received a third of all French investment in China...
By Monday morning, the death toll in China had risen to 80, with more than 2,700 cases of infection. In FranceThree cases have been identified and further analyses are underway. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a census of French nationals in Hubei province. Objective: to prepare their repatriationIf they wish, they can take the necessary precautions. A direct Wuhan-Paris flight, with a medical team will take them to France, where they will remain for a few days. confined to a reception area for 14 days.
France is following the recommendations of theWHOwhich underlines: " New cases exported from China can be expected in any country. Therefore, all countries must be prepared to take measures to contain the outbreak, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and management of cases, contact tracing and prevention of further spread of infection with 2019-nCov, and to report all data to the WHO." .
From fever detectors are now installed in many airports around the world, including London Heathrow for all passengers arriving from China.
Coronavirus: recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign AffairsOn Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has updated its information sheet on travelling to China. This reminds us that " At this stage, the WHO is not recommending travel restrictions or the introduction of screening procedures for the countries concerned." . However, the MFA adds: " due to the transport suspension measures implemented by the Chinese authorities in Wuhan from 23 January 2020, it is advisable to postpone any trip to the region" . The authorities also recommend :
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(Article updated on 27/01)
