Shifting into High Gear
The outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Jan. 30. WHO officials have since increased the global risk of the coronavirus to “very high”—its top level of risk assessment.
In response, the United States and other countries instituted temporary travel restrictions, which may have slowed the spread of COVID-19 somewhat, observed federal scientists from NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
They warn that if the disease begins to spread in U.S. communities, containment may no longer be a realistic goal. In this case, “response efforts likely will need to transition to various mitigation strategies, which could include isolating ill people at home, closing schools and encouraging telework,” commented the officials in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Global companies, such as Trelleborg AB, that have employees slated to travel to high-risk areas, are heeding the warning signs. “We are monitoring the situation very carefully with regards to our employees’ well-being and commitments to customers,” said Karin Larsson, Trelleborg’s vice president of Media Relations.
The engineered polymer solutions business follows recommendations made by local authorities and has advised employees against all travel to Hubei Province in China. “Based on our travel pattern and business operations we advise against all but essential travel to Mainland China, South Korea cities Daegu and Cheongdo, Italy and the regions of Lombardy and Veneto,” said Larsson, adding that employees who have recently been in an affected country may be required to enter a period of quarantine.
Trelleborg employees have also been advised to pay attention to general hygiene, avoid contact with sick people and reconsider travel if they are sick, said Larsson. The company urges anyone with symptoms of pneumonia—which include high fever and shortness of breath—to seek medical attention, said Larsson.
