Egypt's foreign ministry has called on all Egyptian expats in China to contact the Consulate General of the country in Shanghai following the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China in December.

The ministry affirmed in a brief statement on Monday that it would keep an eye on the situation in cooperation with the Egyptian diplomatic mission in China.

The ministry said that the consulate can be contacted through landlines (00862164330622 – 00862164330502 – 00862164331020), fax (00862164330049) or a 24/7 hotline (008615801758947). Expats also can reach out to the consulate via an e-mail to [email protected].

The Egyptian embassy in China had urged Egyptian citizens living in or visiting the country to adhere to health protection measures issued by Chinese authorities. It called on Egyptian citizens in China to avoid crowded places or direct contact with people infected with the virus.

The newly-discovered corona virus first surfaced last month in Wuhan province, according to the Chinese government.

Chinese authorities have enforced a partial lockdown on traffic in and out of the central city of Wuhan and nearby Huanggang, aiming to disrupting the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Chinese health authorities said on Tuesday that the coronavirus outbreak has killed 106 people and infected 4,515, while 60 people have been discharged after treatment.

The virus has spread to other countries including the US, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, and others.