27 foreigners diagnosed with novel coronavirus pneumonia

A total of 27 foreigners in China have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus pneumonia as of Monday morning, with two succumbing to the illness and three discharged, the Foreign Ministry said.

A Chinese-American passed away in the central Chinese city Wuhan on Thursday, and a Japanese died on Saturday in the same city, Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily online news briefing.

China extends condolences over their passing, and has already notified the United States and Japan about their deaths, Geng said, adding that the country will continue to offer assistance with the aftermath.

China attaches great importance to the health and safety of all foreign nationals in Wuhan, and has taken effective measures to respond to their reasonable concerns and requests in a timely manner, he said.

The Chinese government has provided timely, multilingual information and advisory services on epidemic prevention and control to foreigners in China, the Foreign Ministry said earlier.

The Foreign Ministry has set up a special column, "Fighting 2019-nCoV" on its website, gathering the latest information from the National Health Commission to keep foreign readers updated.

Hubei province has strengthened epidemic prevention and treatment concerning foreigners, and provided guidance to foreign patients in accordance with the tiered diagnosis and treatment system, according to the ministry. The province set up a 24 hour hotline (027-87122256) for foreigners staying there to access advice and assistance.

Many provinces and cities have taken measures to offer support to foreigners living there and guarantee their needs in life, epidemic prevention and treatment, the ministry said.

Provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities like Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Xinjiang, have sent open letters to foreign citizens working and living there, sharing with them information channels and designated treatment centers.

To help equip foreign nationals in China with prevention know-how, the National Immigration Administration translated Public Prevention of Pneumonia Caused by Novel Coronavirus, released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in six foreign languages, namely English, French, Russian, German, Japan and Korean.