Travel Advisory |27 January 2020

Public urged to avoid non-essential travel to China

Since the first publication of the World Health Organisation (WHO) advice in relation to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, on January 10, 2020, travel-related cases linked to Wuhan and surrounding cities have been reported in several countries.

To date, WHO has not advised against the application of any restrictions of international traffic based on the information currently available on this event.

However, people are strongly advised to avoid non-essential travel to China. Additionally, it is advisable to avoid travelling to destinations which have registered confirmed cases unless absolutely necessary.

In which case travellers should adopt the following precautions at all times:

• avoid crowded places and close contact with people who are unwell or showing symptoms of illness;

• observe good personal hygiene;

• practice frequent hand washing with soap (e.g. before handling food or eating, after going to toilet, or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing);

• wear a mask if you have respiratory symptoms such as a cough or runny nose;

• avoid contact with live animals and consumption of raw and undercooked meats;

• cover your mouth with a tissue paper when coughing or sneezing, and dispose the soiled tissue paper in the rubbish bin immediately and wash hands or use alcohol based hand sanitisers;

• all travellers should monitor their health closely for two weeks upon return to Seychelles and seek medical attention promptly if feeling unwell, and also inform their doctor of their travel history;

• if you have a fever or respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, runny nose), you should wear a mask and call the clinic ahead of the visit.

The current outbreak of the novel coronavirus originated in Wuhan city, Hubei Province, China, which is a major domestic and international transport hub. Given the large population movements, and the observed human to human transmission, it is not unexpected that new confirmed cases will continue to

appear in other areas and countries.

So far, the main clinical signs and symptoms reported in this outbreak include fever and difficulty in breathing. As of January 24, 2020, human-to-human transmission has been confirmed largely in Wuhan city, but also some other places in China and internationally.

Not enough is known about the novel coronavirus to draw definitive conclusions about the full clinical features of disease, the intensity of the human-to-human transmission, and the original source of the outbreak.

Communique from the Ministry of Health