On Tuesday 28 January, the European Union activated its civil protection mechanism for the repatriation of citizens in Wuhan due to the spread of the new coronavirus in China.
To date, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has recorded more than 100 deaths in China and four cases in Europe (three in France and one in Germany). The EU will co-finance the cost of transporting aircraft for repatriation by allowing only healthy or asymptomatic citizens to travel. A plane - with 250 French people on board - is due to leave on 29 January. A second, with about 100 European citizens from other countries, will leave later this week.
Switzerland has requested temporary access to the EU's early warning system for health. In the absence of a bilateral institutional agreement, for which negotiations are currently deadlocked, Switzerland does not have permanent access to this system for sharing information. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)