Following the Health Secretary’s statement on 10 February that Coronavirus represents a “serious and imminent threat” to public health, the British Ports Association is calling for more funding and support to be given to United Kingdom local authority officials to prepare British borders.
In the UK, port health authorities are responsible for developing health controls at seaports and airports and are tasked with preventing the introduction of dangerous epidemic diseases through shipping activity without creating unnecessary disruptions to world trade.
Commenting on the situation, the British Ports Association’s Chief Executive, Richard Ballantyne, said:
“As an island nation, the ports sector is committed to maintaining the flow of the supply chain however we must also balance this with protecting our borders, maritime workers and the general public from the Wuhan Coronavirus. The risks are still low but local authorities need additional public support to devise their emergency plans in case the situation escalates.”
Posters which explain the symptoms of the Wuhan Coronavirus are on display at ports that handle passengers, Asian traffic and some safety and health precautions are being taken for maritime pilots boarding vessels that have travelled from China. Ballantyne continued:
“It typically takes between 30-40 days to sail from China so any crew who develop the virus should do so in this time. Ships are also required to notify ports if any such developments occur and ports can see the last 10 calls a ship has made to assess risks. However if the virus spreads to Europe as is predicted local port health authorities will need to manage risks from shorter flights and sailings.”
Some UK port health authorities have also implemented enhanced screening measures such as requesting maritime declarations of health from vessels that have called at Chinese ports, interviewing crew and disseminating travel advice.
As many will have seen, the Wuhan Coronavirus, which originally developed in the Hubei province in China, has been rapidly spreading to other parts of the world. Wuhan is a major river port and shipping thoroughfare connecting central China to the rest of the world.
