Emergency declared in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to deal with coronavirus threat

A state of emergency has been declared in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to combat the threat of the new strain of coronavirus which has spread in several countries across the world, Pakistan media reported.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Relief, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Department under KP government said that the emergency has been declared for a period of 30 days -- effective from February 3 -- to enable the health department and its subordinate bodies, offices, and institutions to take necessary measures for preparedness, prevention, control and response to the threat of coronavirus, Dawn reported.

The virus, which originated in China in December last year, has killed 426 people in that country alone, while cases have been registered in several countries across the world, including India.

The department's report noted that people from the province were travelling to China, which has "added to the risk factor of human-to-human transmission of the virus" and it necessitated putting in place measures for the preparedness, prevention, control and response of the spread of the disease throughout the province.