WTO ministerial meeting canceled over coronavirus fears

File Photo: Kazakh infection specialist Saule Atygaeva (C) as well as other medical staff from the infection department of a designated quarantine hospital express support for their Chinese counterparts in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, Feb. 20, 2020. (Photo by Kalizhan Ospanov/Xinhua)

The 12th World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference has been canceled due to the global spread of COVID-19, the Interfax news agency quoted Kazakh First Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov as saying on Thursday. The meeting was scheduled to take place in the capital city of Nur-Sultan on June 8-11.

On the same day, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that the country is suspending all public events and taking preventive measures, as the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a "pandemic" on Wednesday.

"There will be no interruptions in the supply of food and basic goods. We shall protect small and medium businesses. The most important thing is the health of our people. Together we will overcome all the difficulties," Tokayev tweeted.

So far, Kazakhstan has yet to confirm cases of COVID-19.