People suffering from an acute respiratory tract infection with sudden onset of cough, fever and shortness of breath and who have returned from a country where there is local transmission of Covid-19 within the past 14 days should call their doctor or the Covid-19 helpline on 2132 4086.

In a statement on Wednesday, the government said these people were advised to refrain from visiting doctors’ clinics, pharmacies, health centres or the casualty department in the first instance. 

The countries and regions with local transmission of the virus are: 

Western Pacific 

China, including Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam.

Europe

Italy, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Norway, Croatia, The Netherlands, San Marino, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Denmark, Monaco.

South East Asia

Thailand, Indonesia.

Eastern Mediterranean

Iran, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Lebanon.

The Americas

Canada, United States of America, Ecuador.

Africa

Algeria.

The government said the recommendation for self-quarantine remained for those countries and regions where there was high sustained transmission.

These countries/regions are: 

The northern part of Italy (Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia Romagna) China (including Hong Kong), Singapore, Japan, Iran and South Korea.
 
The authorities said the  public should take the necessary precautions for prevention of respiratory infections:
 
Clean: Clean hands by washing with soap and water often or using alcohol hand rub.
 
Contain: Contain germs by staying at home if unwell. Do not visit patients in hospital if you are sick.
 
Cover: Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when you cough and do not sneeze into bare hands. Do not leave tissues running around. Do not sneeze or cough into your hands as you may contaminate objects or people that you touch.
 
For more information, the public can call the Covid-19 helpline on 2132 4086 or visit the website here.

Coronavirus: your questions, answered 

What do you want to know about the coronavirus? Email us your questions and we’ll ask the experts: newsroom@timesofmalta.com.

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