BRASILIA/SAO PAULO — Brazil will declare a national health emergency to prepare for the return of Brazilian nationals at the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in China, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said on Monday. The Health Ministry will ask Congress for the power to quarantine the Brazilian nationals potentially exposed to coronavirus, he said. Brazilian authorities are monitoring 500 people for coronavirus symptoms, although Brazil has had no confirmed cases so far, he added. He also cited the cost of such an operation and noted that Brazilian law may not cover putting people in quarantine. Over the weekend, Brazilians in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, posted a video appealing to Bolsonaro to get them out.

Source: National Post February 03, 2020 16:52 UTC