Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1214775
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 FEBRUARY 2020 NEWS CORONAVIRUS THE sudden increase in cases of COV- ID-19 in Iran, Italy and South Korea was "deeply concerning", World Health Or- ganisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghe- breyesus said yesterday. Speaking to reporters on Monday, he said that currently, "we are not wit- nessing the uncontained global spread of this virus and we are not witnessing large scale severe disease or deaths." "Does this virus have pandemic po- tential? Absolutely, it has. Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet," Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Italy has reported a rapid increase in cases of laboratory-confirmed COV- ID-19 since 21 February. So far seven people have died in Italy since Saturday and 231 people are infected. Lombardy, where the spread is said to have originated, has been put into lockdown and about 50,000 people have been ordered to stay indoors as strict quarantine restrictions have been intro- duced. An initial investigation by Italian au- thorities has found several clusters of cases in different regions of northern It- aly, with evidence of local transmission of COVID-19. A WHO-led team of experts from WHO and the European Centre for Dis- ease Prevention and Control (ECDC) arrived in Italy on Monday to support Italian authorities in understanding the situation. WHO experts are providing support in the areas of clinical management, in- fection prevention and control, surveil- lance and risk communication. At this stage, the focus is on limiting further human-to-human transmission. WHO said that while limited lo- cal person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 in countries outside of Chi- na was expected, the rapid increase in reported cases in Italy over the past few days was of concern. The organisation said it should also be noted that based on the current data, in the majority of cases people were experiencing mild or no symptoms. "COVID-19 is a new virus that we need to take very seriously. This mis- sion to Italy is one of the ways in which WHO/Europe is supporting countries across the Region. We are working hard with our Member States to ensure that they are ready for COVID-19, preparing for the arrival of cases and possible lo- calized spread. It is vital that we treat patients with dignity and compassion, put measures in place to prevent on- ward transmission, and protect health workers," said WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge. Health authorities in Italy are imple- menting measures to prevent onward transmission, including the closing of schools and bars and cancelling of sports events and other mass gatherings in the areas affected. WHO said this aligned with the containment strategy currently being implemented globally in an effort to stop the spread of COV- ID-19. "WHO stands by the Government of Italy in its efforts and commitment to mitigate this outbreak and manage the cases effectively. Now is the time for solidarity and cooperation, to work to- gether to protect everyone's health," said Kluge. The new strain of coronavirus, which originated last year in Hubei province in China, causes a respiratory disease called Covid-19. China has seen more than 77,659 infections and 2,663 deaths. COVID-19 not yet a pandemic, says UN health agency chief WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus MASSIMO COSTA THE Malta Union of Teachers has directed its members not to accept any homework from stu- dents who are unwell, in light of the spread of the coronavirus in Europe. In a series of instructions is- sued on Tuesday, the union al- so requested that mass indoor gatherings at schools, such as assemblies and Mass, should be halted, and that students and teachers who visited countries affected by the virus should stay home. In a communication sent to the Permanent Secretary at the Education Ministry, as well as to all non-state schools, the un- ion expressed its concern about the "lack of direction following the developments regarding the Coronavirus disease (COV- ID-19)." It explained that it was con- cerned about the absence of di- rection regarding precautionary measures which need to be taken by schools upon their re-open- ing after carnival recess. In the absence of any direction, MUT said that it "reserves the right to direct educators to en- sure that their wellbeing and the wellbeing of students in their re- spective classrooms/schools are safeguarded." The MUT said it expected that such communication is issued to educators tomorrow before the re-opening of schools on Thurs- day. The MUT is requesting that self-isolation of all educators and students who have visited affected countries should be en- forced, with those individuals being marked as excused from attending. No homework should be ac- cepted from students who are unwell, the union said, and mass indoor gatherings should be stopped, including assemblies and Mass. The provision of hand sani- tizers or alcohol rubs, soap and clean supplies of water to all schools was also demanded. Students who are sick should be sent home and a certificate certifying that they are fit for school should be produced prior to their readmission and appro- priate cleaning should be carried out, the MUT said. The MUT added that it was ready to "assist accordingly" and requested that the ministry li- aised with the respective health authorities to provide direction to schools. Teachers' union does not want to mark sick students' homework Teachers' union concerned at lack of direction on Covid-19 from education ministry