The coronavirus outbreak has claimed the lives of 4,716 people so far, while 127,765 people have been infected worldwide.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday declared the disease a pandemic. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "Today's declaration of a pandemic is a call to action -- for everyone, everywhere. It's also a call for responsibility and solidarity as nations united and as people united," Guterres said.
He further said, "The best science tells us, if countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilize their people in the response, we can go a long way to mitigating transmission."
Guterres also urged all governments to immediately step up and scale up their efforts, and all people to play their part.
Guterres stressed the need for solidarity. "As we mourn all those who have lost their lives and the many families who are suffering, we must show solidarity with the most vulnerable -- the elderly, the sick, those without reliable health care, and those on the edge of poverty."
"Let's move forward with resolve and without stigma... Let's overcome this common threat together," said the UN chief.
However, #CancelEverything started trending on Twitter. People called to cancel all events due to the coronavirus outbreak, while introverts were the only ones who seemed happy.
A Twitter user wrote, "This Coronavirus panic is slowly becoming a dream come true for people who don’t like to leave their house #CancelEverything."
Here are a few Twitter reactions:
(With input from IANS)
