Luxembourg’s ministry of health has said there are currently no direct connections between the grand duchy and the Chinese city of Wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus outbreak that has left 25 dead and more than 830 infected. However, the ministry said it could not rule out individuals who have visited the affected region and are carrying the virus arriving in Luxembourg.

The ministry says the situation in China and elsewhere is constantly being monitored by the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which on Wednesday declared the virus outbreak a level 1 public health emergency--meaning health staff have been alerted to the risks.

Luxembourg’s LNS national health laboratory is currently developing its ability to perform tests to identify the 2019-nCoV virus. At the same time, it has reached an agreement with the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, which can test samples provided by the Luxembourg lab.

Advice

The ministry has reiterated advice against traveling to the affected region around Wuhan--which is, in any case, subject to a lockdown by the Chinese authorities. But it has also published advice for anyone who has recently returned from China and is displaying symptoms including respiratory difficulties, fever and coughing.

They should stay at home and avoid contact with other people, or wear a surgical mask if contact is unavoidable. They should also not go to see a doctor, rather immediately contact the Health Inspectorate on tel. 247- 85650 or use the emergency 112 number outside of office hours. The authorities will then direct the patient to the relevant medical service.