China will win battle against coronavirus: President Xi
Iran Press TV
Tuesday, 10 March 2020 5:10 PM
Chinese President Xi Jinping says China should keep strong and it will win the battle against the new coronavirus, which has plagued many countries and has killed thousands of people so far.
"Now what you should do is to hold a strong faith. We should all strengthen our confidence together (and I believe that) we will win this battle. Wuhan will win, Hubei will win, and the whole of China will win!" President Xi said on Tuesday, addressing medical staff in Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei and the epicenter of the COVID-19 virus.
COVID-19, which emerged late last year, is currently affecting 115 countries and territories across the globe. It has so far affected more than 116,000 and killed more than 4,090 others.
"You all wear protective suits and masks so I can't see your real face, but in my heart you are the loveliest people. Therefore, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, I would like to express my sincere condolences and pay high respect to you," Xi said.
The Chinese government, and President Xi personally, had been criticized by Western media for what was alleged to be a slow response to the outbreak. But Beijing has been taking strict measures early since the outbreak began, including locking down Wuhan, a city of roughly 11 million people, which has since appeared to pay off.
Infections and deaths in China have been increasingly decreasing recently. China's National Health Commission said earlier in the day that mainland China had registered only 19 new cases of the coronavirus infection on Monday, down from 40 a day earlier. Only 17 more deaths were also reported. The total number of confirmed cases in China now stands at 80,754, and the death toll is 3,136.
"Communities have rendered outstanding contributions in this battle against COVID-19. On behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, I extend sincere greetings and cordial gratitude to you and through you to all the community workers nationwide, including those fighting on the frontline," the Chinese president further said on Tuesday.
Macron's chief of staff quarantined
Separately on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said in a statement that Patrick Strzoda, Macron's chief of staff, had to work from home after coming into contact with a person who tested positive for the coronavirus.
However, the statement added that Strzoda showed no symptom and would be tested later in the day or on Wednesday.
Additionally on Tuesday, Macron said his country was "only at the start" of the coronavirus epidemic, after he visited an emergency medical regulation center in the capital, Paris.
"We're only at the start of the epidemic. We have anticipated it, prepared for it. I saw some brilliant teams here, professional health workers who are innovative and courageous; we will be behind them over the long term. And at every moment of this epidemic's advancing phase, we will adapt our response to serve our fellow citizens and meet their expectations," the French president said.
Macron also stressed that 85 percent of people who contract the coronavirus would only suffer mildly from the disease.
Earlier in the day, French health officials had announced that the death toll due to COVID-19 had risen to 30. More than 1,400 people have been tested positive for the disease.
On Monday, France's Culture Minister Franck Riester tested positive for the virus.
The European Union (EU)
In a statement on Tuesday, the commissioner in charge of crisis management at the European Commission, Janez Lenarcic, said that authorities were considering all options, including amending aviation slot rules, in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
On Monday, a spokeswoman of the European Commission said that a first case of coronavirus had been detected among staff at the commission.
According to an EU official, the woman had returned from Italy, the gateway of the coronavirus to Europe and the worst-hit country after China. The official added that the woman had been in quarantine since last week.
The European Commission, the 27-nations bloc's executive arm, has a staff of around 32,000.
Italy
On Monday, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte promised "massive shock therapy" to overcome the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
"We will not stop here. We will use a massive shock therapy," he said, stressing, "To come out of this emergency, we will use all human and economic resources."
The European country, where one quarter of its population is under lockdown, has reported that more than 10,100 people have been infected with the coronavirus and more than 630 others have lost their lives, the highest death toll in the world after China.
Cases of the virus have been confirmed in all of 20 Italian regions.
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