# Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2020 Breaking News **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [February 11, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758 "2020-02-11T01:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 76
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1503 "2020-03-26T13:07:22Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I took the deaths from the past 16 days (total deaths on day N minus total deaths on day N-1), took their base 10 logs, and using days 1-16 as my X-axis points, I get a least-squares line with slope of 0.125. This line has an _r_[sup]2[/sup] of 0.96, IOW, it describes what’s been happening so far very precisely. > > Basically, the number of deaths per day will continue increasing by about 1/3 each day over the previous day until something stops it or slows it down, and social distancing is the only tool in the toolkit right now. > > It’ll take awhile for that to work, so we should hit our first 1000-death day when **Bo** records the numbers at just after 9pm PDT on March 30. And unless our social distancing starts flattening the curve by then, we could have **100,000** people dying of the coronavirus over Easter weekend (Good Friday through Easter Sunday) alone. Nicely done with a very important caveat - social distancing (in its various options) is the only tool in our toolkit but NOT the only something that stops it or slows it down. There is the joke of a married couple who are both scientists who send out a family newsletter 3 months after the birth of their first child, which they titled “Experiment Number One” and included in it a graph and analysis of the growth of their child to date: “To date Experiment Number One has doubled in rate over 3 months and has a current weight of 6.2 kg. Doubling its weight every three months we therefore project that by 10 years of age Experiment Number One will weigh roughly 6,816,972,092,211 kg.” Of course the math of modeling deaths at any particular day into an epidemic is not quite so straightforward as continuing its initial curve up forever. The reality is that we have no _real_ knowledge of what the curve would look like in absence of applying any of the social distancing tools because we have no real idea of the some basic critical inputs that go into the models. Will this baby keep growing at this rate forever, or begin to slow down, when? With babies we know the doubling rate progressively slows down after 3 months; the experiment has been run with others of the species before. We’ve never had a baby of this exact species before and we don’t know too much about it yet. Lacking that information we still have to act and the least poor choice is to at least slow it down as best we can until we have better information and as we increase our surge capacity from its current fairly pathetic levels. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1504 "2020-03-26T13:42:18Z")
Cuomo has been advocating widely testing to see who is already immune by now and allowing them to be part of the first cohort to return to work. Many of those found will not ever have been tested by swab or even presumptively diagnosed. Some will not have even suspected they had COVID-19; some may never have had any symptoms. His plan not only would not only be a great way to restart the economy with the lowest risk pool; it would provide the modelers with one of the critical missing inputs of how the undocumented and not very ill portion is, and thus how fast the pool of “Vulnerable” drops, and how quickly the pool of “Resolved” grows for the models. IF it turns out that with this testing there are a large number of undocumented asymptomatic to mild infections for every one currently identified, maybe ten to one who knows, THEN a plan in which transitions to using more focused social distancing as the specific tool is one that can be applied with more confidence and one that prevents the morbidity and mortality of the current “isolate them all” approach. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1505 "2020-03-26T14:35:45Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Cuomo has been advocating widely testing to see who is already immune by now and allowing them to be part of the first cohort to return to work. Many of those found will not ever have been tested by swab or even presumptively diagnosed. Some will not have even suspected they had COVID-19; some may never have had any symptoms. > > His plan not only would not only be a great way to restart the economy with the lowest risk pool; it would provide the modelers with one of the critical missing inputs of how the undocumented and not very ill portion is, and thus how fast the pool of “Vulnerable” drops, and how quickly the pool of “Resolved” grows for the models. IF it turns out that with this testing there are a large number of undocumented asymptomatic to mild infections for every one currently identified, maybe ten to one who knows, THEN a plan in which transitions to using more focused social distancing as the specific tool is one that can be applied with more confidence and one that prevents the morbidity and mortality of the current “isolate them all” approach. Do medical personnel have access to enough tests now so that they can carry out widespread testing. I can’t seem to keep up with all the bonfires currently burning/smoldering/ready to burst into flame. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1506 "2020-03-26T14:58:02Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Cuomo has been advocating widely testing to see who is already immune by now and allowing them to be part of the first cohort to return to work. Is he talking about antibody tests? Are those available yet, and shown to be accurate? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1507 "2020-03-26T15:12:46Z")
The widespread testing for evidence of having HAD the infection is not the swab test (using reverse PCR); it is testing for antibodies (also referred to as “serologies” or “IgG and IgM”). _Weeks_ ago the CDC briefing described these tests as ready to roll out within the week. No idea what happened after that. It’s a completely different platform and getting enough done to be able to state that X% of 20 to 30s and Y% of 30 to 40s (etc.) in NYC show evidence of having been infected, compared to A% and B% of identified cases, does not take tens of thousands of tests run, any more than a poll needs tens of thousands to estimate voting results, at least within some broad confidence intervals. Googling I can find from a week ago [this _Science_ mention](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/new-blood-tests-antibodies-could-show-true-scale-coronavirus-pandemic) that they have already been used in studies on small scales. > [@](#): > > How many COVID-19 cases have gone undetected? And are those who had mild cases of the disease—perhaps so mild they dismissed it as a cold or allergies—immune to new infections? If so, they could slow the spread of the burgeoning pandemic. > > Answering those questions is crucial to managing the pandemic and forecasting its course. But the answers won’t come from the RNA-based diagnostic tests now being given by the tens of thousands. They look for the presence of viral genes in a nose or throat swab, a sign of an active infection. But scientists also need to test a person’s blood for antibodies to the new virus, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Such tests can detect active infections, too, but more importantly, they can tell whether a person has been infected in the past because the body retains antibodies against pathogens it has already overcome. > > Labs and companies around the world have raced to develop antibody tests, and a few have been used in small studies and received commercial approval, including several from China. But so far, large-scale data from such tests—for example showing what fraction of people in the hard-hit city of Wuhan, China, might now be immune—is still lacking or at least not public. … > > … Widespread antibody testing could also provide key data for efforts to model the course of the pandemic. Current predictions vary so widely, causing some scientists to question the need for severe containment methods such as lockdowns and social distancing. By indicating how much of the population is already immune because of mild infections, antibody data could offer a key to how fast the virus will continue to spread. > > Such data could inform practical issues such as whether and how to reopen schools that have been closed. Relatively few cases have been diagnosed among children, but it isn’t clear whether that’s because they don’t get infected or because their infections are generally so mild that they go unnoticed. Testing children for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies should resolve that. … Also needed is more conclusive proof that children are minimally contagious when they have COVID-19. If we start with 24% of the American population functionally in the Resolved bucket (not spreading it) the model would result a completely different course and some actions are completely needless or even harmful. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1508 "2020-03-26T15:17:53Z")
Although… if you want to find out if a person is safe to return to the workforce, you’d need an antibody test to prove they’ve had it, _and_ a PCR test to prove they are no longer infectious, right? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1509 "2020-03-26T15:51:17Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Although… if you want to find out if a person is safe to return to the workforce, you’d need an antibody test to prove they’ve had it, _and_ a PCR test to prove they are no longer infectious, right? No. Current standard already is to consider safe to return once 72 hours of fever-free and symptoms consistently improving. I don’t know exactly what data that recommendation has been based off of. Nevertheless for other viral infections it is established that some low level viral shedding long outlasts the period of meaningful contagiousness. The standard for influenza in comparison is safe to return after 24 hours of fever-free even though it is documented that _some_ viral shedding can last for up to ten days. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1510 "2020-03-26T15:52:49Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Cuomo has been advocating widely testing to see who is already immune by now and allowing them to be part of the first cohort to return to work. I’m curious as to how that works when there’s more than one strain of the virus and there have been folks who have recovered and then gotten re-infected. In other news, [the LDS Church’s top leadership closed all of their temples worldwide](https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/first-presidency-temporarily-closes-all-temples-march-25-2020). ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1511 "2020-03-26T16:00:05Z")
The national bloodbank here in the Netherlands is supposed to be testing all donations on antibodies this week. If they actually pull it off, it should give an idea of the spread of the disease by the end of the week (based on 10000 data points). We are pretty much testing only people that are sent to hospital. That’s why the “mortality rate” is close to 5%. These rates are meaningless, as is the 10 % rate in Italy… but still people keep throwing it around. Verstuurd vanaf mijn moto g(6) met Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1512 "2020-03-26T16:03:29Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Nicely done with a very important caveat - social distancing (in its various options) is the only tool in our toolkit but NOT the only something that stops it or slows it down. > > There is the joke of a married couple who are both scientists who send out a family newsletter 3 months after the birth of their first child, which they titled “Experiment Number One” and included in it a graph and analysis of the growth of their child to date: “To date Experiment Number One has doubled in rate over 3 months and has a current weight of 6.2 kg. Doubling its weight every three months we therefore project that by 10 years of age Experiment Number One will weigh roughly 6,816,972,092,211 kg.” > > Of course the math of modeling deaths at any particular day into an epidemic is not quite so straightforward as continuing its initial curve up forever. > > The reality is that we have no _real_ knowledge of what the curve would look like in absence of applying any of the social distancing tools because we have no real idea of the some basic critical inputs that go into the models. Will this baby keep growing at this rate forever, or begin to slow down, when? With babies we know the doubling rate progressively slows down after 3 months; the experiment has been run with others of the species before. We’ve never had a baby of this exact species before and we don’t know too much about it yet. Lacking that information we still have to act and the least poor choice is to at least slow it down as best we can until we have better information and as we increase our surge capacity from its current fairly pathetic levels. What, R[sub]0[/sub] is going to suddenly start working differently? Look, the rate of spread of this thing is like the rate of spread of any other disease. It’s all about how many new people each infected person infects. That’s R[sub]0[/sub]. Absent social distancing, that’s going to be a constant until enough people have developed a resistance to the disease already to reduce the number of uninfected people each infected person runs into. To noticeably reduce R[sub]0[/sub] that way, a good portion of the population has to have developed resistance. We’re nowhere near that point yet. And until we are, the exponential rate of growth will continue as before, modulo the extent that social distancing reduces the number of contacts each infected person has. So yeah, I think I can extrapolate along an exponential curve _ **for the next freakin’ two and a half weeks.** _ Based, as before, on the assumption that social distancing is only minimally effective - and using the difference in actual deaths from what the exponential curve predicts as a measure of the effectiveness of social distancing. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1513 "2020-03-26T16:16:47Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > If New York’s confirmed cases were ranked it would come in at number 7 > China Mainland 81,218 > Italy 69,176 > United States 55,330 > Spain 47,610 > Germany 34,009 > Iran 27,017 > New York 26,348 One country I’ve been wondering about is Russia, from which little has been heard (at least in the mainstream US press) since the crisis began. It appears their response, or lack of one, has been strikingly similar to that of the US in the early days of the epidemic: mostly claim the outbreak is under control and deny there is an issue. Well, Russia (meaning Putin) apparently is coming round to the notion that they may have a problem: [https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/26/europe/coronavirus-russia-kremlin-intl/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/26/europe/coronavirus-russia-kremlin-intl/index.html) The article mentions that Putin has declared next week to be a paid stay-at-home holiday, but that seems a laughably tepid response and otherwise there seems to be no long-term plan to deal with the outbreak as yet. ---
**Author:** ![TinaMoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TinaMoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TinaMoris)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1514 "2020-03-26T16:18:06Z")
I am tired of this virus, can’t hear about it anymore. And it is just the beginning ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1515 "2020-03-26T16:19:25Z")
Deaths per million per state in the US as of this morning (death numbers from Worldometer, state populations from Wikipedia). Just the top ones, with country numbers for perspective. Italy : 124 Spain : 89 Andorra : 39 Iran : 27 Netherlands : 25 Switzerland : 22 France : 20 New York : 19.8 Belgium : 19 Washington : 17.3 Cayman Islands : 15 Louisiana : 14 Luxembourg : 13 Vermont : 12.8 Wales : 8.7 Sweden : 7 Denmark : 7 UK : 7 New Jersey : 7 Guam : 6 Curaçao : 6 Iceland : 6 Channel Islands : 6 Portugal : 6 Connecticut : 5.3 Nevada : 5.2 Austria : 5 Georgia : 4.5 Michigan : 4.3 District of Columbia : 4.3 Colorado : 3.3 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1516 "2020-03-26T16:25:40Z")
For posterity: BAM! Worldwide confirmed infections just topped 500,000. And the US took the #2 spot from Italy. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1517 "2020-03-26T16:28:43Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > One country I’ve been wondering about is Russia, from which little has been heard (at least in the mainstream US press) since the crisis began. It appears their response, or lack of one, has been strikingly similar to that of the US in the early days of the epidemic: mostly claim the outbreak is under control and deny there is an issue. Well, Russia (meaning Putin) apparently is coming round to the notion that they may have a problem: > > [https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/26/europe/coronavirus-russia-kremlin-intl/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/26/europe/coronavirus-russia-kremlin-intl/index.html) > > The article mentions that Putin has declared next week to be a paid stay-at-home holiday, but that seems a laughably tepid response and otherwise there seems to be no long-term plan to deal with the outbreak as yet. I posted this on 23 March: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Russia has decided, impart, to follow China’s lead and is using 5,000 workers to build at least one new 500 bed hospital from scratch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONAywF9jCeM) (1:19 video). ETA: DYAC! “in part” not “impart” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1518 "2020-03-26T16:30:16Z")
What is the date when the US surpasses Italy in number of cases? The date when the US holds the world record for number of deaths? Because these two things are coming. I’d say the US beats Italy in number of cases by next Monday at the latest. The US will have the record death number by April 4. And Fox News will rejoice, because this means that the US is effectively culling the herd of those useless old people. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1519 "2020-03-26T16:33:43Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > What is the date when the US surpasses Italy in number of cases? As I just wrote, that happened today. > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > The date when the US holds the world record for number of deaths? We are still some weeks from that being the case. > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I’d say the US beats Italy in number of cases by next Monday at the latest. Already happened. > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > The US will have the record death number by April 4. I think that’s a bit early but I wouldn’t bet against it. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1520 "2020-03-26T16:49:34Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > As I just wrote, that happened today. > We are still some weeks from that being the case. > Already happened. > I think that’s a bit early but I wouldn’t bet against it. I was using the John’s Hopkins data - what are you using? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1521 "2020-03-26T16:50:45Z")
[World O Meter](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/); always World O Meter. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/1522 "2020-03-26T16:53:17Z")
[China suspending entry to foreigners, effective 00:00, 28 March 2020 (certain exceptions apply).](https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjbxw/t1761867.shtml) > [@](#): > > **Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China National Immigration Administration Announcement on the Temporary Suspension of Entry by Foreign Nationals Holding Valid Chinese Visas or Residence Permits** > > 2020/03/26 > March 26, 2020 > > In view of the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the world, China has decided to temporarily suspend the entry into China by foreign nationals holding visas or residence permits still valid to the time of this announcement, effective from 0 a.m., 28 march 2020. Entry by foreign nationals with APEC Business Travel Cards will be suspended as well. Policies including port visas, 24/72/144-hour visa-free transit policy, Hainan 30-day visa-free policy, 15-day visa-free policy specified for foreign cruise-group-tour through Shanghai Port, Guangdong 144-hour visa-free policy specified for foreign tour groups from Hong Kong or Macao SAR, and Guangxi 15-day visa-free policy specified for foreign tour groups of ASEAN countries will also be temporarily suspended. Entry with diplomatic, service, courtesy or C visas will not be affected. Foreign nationals coming to China for necessary economic, trade, scientific or technological activities or out of emergency humanitarian needs may apply for visas at Chinese embassies or consulates. Entry by foreign nationals with visas issued after this announcement will not be affected. > > The suspension is a temporary measure that China is compelled to take in light of the outbreak situation and the practices of other countries. China will stay in close touch with all sides and properly handle personnel exchanges with the rest of the world under the special circumstances. The above-mentioned measures will be calibrated in light of the evolving situation and announced accordingly. > > [RIGHT]Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China > > National Immigration Administration[/RIGHT] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=75) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=77)