Egypt denies raiding Chinese restaurants to tackle coronavirus

The Egyptian Ministry of Health has denied plans to raid Chinese restaurants and check their menus in a bid to curb the outbreak of the coronavirus.

News outlet Egypt Today reported on Monday that the Ministry of Health said Chinese workers and restaurants would be fully inspected to ensure there was no trace of the disease.

However ministry spokesperson Khaled said the coronavirus had not been detected in Egypt.

He said: “The ministry’s food supervision directorate conducts periodic campaigns to inspect food establishments nationwide to make sure they meet the required health conditions and terms in accordance with the law.”

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He went on to urge the media to be sensible and accurate in their reporting of the coronavirus so as not to cause panic.

Egypt have since suspended all flights from China, and set up screening processes at airports.

Though authorities claim measures have been put in place in Egyptian hospitals with instructions in case of any outbreak, medical teams have refuted this saying there is insufficient preparedness and no steps have been taken to ensure the country can deal with any cases.

Cases of coronavirus have been reported in the UAE, while more than 170 people have died of the virus in China, with over 2,000 diagnosed globally.

The virus originated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, and it is suspected it came from the consumption of infected food with snakes or bats the suspect culprits.

Symptoms are flu-like and cause viral pneumonia, it is not yet clear how dangerous the disease is as people who have died have had weakened immune systems.