'We need time to find the source of the Coronavirus' says Chinese Ambassador
The Chinese government says it needs more time to detect the source and nature of the deadly coronavirus.
Chinese ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian, updated the media in Cape Town on Friday morning.
According to Chinese authorities, 1483 people have died from the virus including 27 tourists, while 64 600 people have been infected.
Songtian says they are working overtime to stabilize the situation.
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"So up to now the source of infection of the coronavirus in Wuhan has not been discovered. The nature of the virus is unknown and the risk of mutation is still unclear, so we need time to understand it. This is why we have sent more than 15 cases to the World Health Organisation," says Songtian.
With the widespread belief that the virus may be triggered by people eating animals in China, Songtian says China has had more than 5000 years of civilization and is developed and more and more people are living in harmony with animals.
"In my family, when I was young and living in the village we ate snakes. But now we came to the city and there is modernisation, my boy would never touch snakes."
"But that is why we still have people in the village who have old habits. We only have 5000 years of civilisation, we still need time to change them," adds Songtian.