Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

Coronavirus pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) determined that the outbreak of outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a pandemic on 11 March 2020. Read more here.

With the information currently available on novel coronavirus, WHO advises that measures to limit the risk of exportation or importation of the disease should be implemented, without unnecessary restrictions on international traffic.

WHO technical guidance on detection and management of ill travellers suspected of COVID-19 infection, including at ports, can be downloaded here.

WHO Operational considerations for managing COVID-19 cases/outbreak on board ships can be downloaded here.

Advice for IMO Member States, seafarers and shipping

WHO/IMO joint statement on the response to the COVID-19 Outbreak

The executive Heads of the World Health Organization (WHO) and IMO have issued a joint statement on the response to the COVID-19 outbreak, available in the six official languages of the United Nations system.

Arabic

Chinese

English

French

Russian

Spanish

IMO has issued the following circular letters:

Circular Letter No.4204/Add.5 (17 March 2020) Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Guidance relating to the certification of seafarers
Circular Letter No.4204/Add.4 (5 March 2020) contains ICS Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for ship operators for the protection of the health of seafarers
Circular Letter No.4204/Add.3 (2 March 2020) — Operational considerations for managing COVID-19 cases/outbreak on board ships.
Circular Letter No.4204/Add.2 (21 February 2020) contains the Joint Statement IMO-WHO on the Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak and encourages Member States and international organizations to disseminate it as widely as possible.
Circular Letter No.4204/Add.1 (19 February 2020) provides advice on Implementation and enforcement of relevant IMO instruments.
Circular Letter No.4203.Add.1 (12 February 2020) provides information and guidance, based on recommendations developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Division of Healthcare Management and Occupational Safety and Health (DHMOSH), United Nations, on the precautions to be taken to minimize risks to delegates attending meetings at IMO.
Circular Letter No.4204 (31 January 2020) providing information and guidance, based on recommendations developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), on the precautions to be taken to minimize risks to seafarers, passengers and others on board ships from the coronavirus. Member States are advised to urge all stakeholders (companies, managers, crewing agents, etc.) to promulgate information to ensure that seafarers, passengers and others on board ships are provided with accurate and relevant information on the coronavirus outbreak and on the measures to reduce the risk of exposure if they are likely to be engaged on ships trading to and from ports in coronavirus-affected States.

Additional advice:

The following links also provide advice to seafarers and shipping (non-exhaustive list):

International Maritime Health Association (IMHA) — advice for shipping companies on the new type of coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) — Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for Ship Operators for the Protection of the Health of Seafarers
USCG — Novel Coronavirus

World Health Organization advice

On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was alerted to several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. The virus did not match any other known virus. This raised concern because when a virus is new, we do not know how it affects people. One week later, on 7 January, Chinese authorities confirmed that they had identified a new virus. The new virus is a coronavirus, which is a family of viruses that include the common cold, and viruses such as SARS and MERS. This new virus has been named COVID-19.

WHO has been working with Chinese authorities and global experts, to learn more about the virus, how it affects the people who are sick with it, how they can be treated, and what countries can do to respond.

Because this is a coronavirus, which usually causes respiratory illness, WHO has advice to people on how to protect themselves and those around them from getting the disease.

WHO provides Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) travel advice here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/travel-advice

IMO meetings postponed

IMO has decided to postpone a number of meetings following the global coronavirus outbreak.

Updates on meetings

Circular Letter No.4213/Add.1 (12 March 2020) Postponement of the thirty-third meeting of the Editorial & Technical Group (IMSBC), the seventh meeting of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships and the seventy-fifth session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee due to the COVID-19 outbreak
Circular Letter No.4213 (6 March 2020) Postponement of the joint session of the LC/LP Scientific Groups and the 107th session of the Legal Committee due to the COVID-19 outbreak

Updates on the IMO Headquarters

Circular Letter No.4220 (12 March 2020) Update on the status of the International Maritime Organization Headquarters building and its closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak