Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong advised people not to worry, because excessive fear could do more than corona virus.

"No need to panic. We won't block the city or ask everyone to stay home. We have ample supplies, so there's no need to stock up on instant noodles, canned food or toilet paper. born, as some did yesterday, "Lee said in a statement yesterday.

Mr. Lee added that if the cases continue to rise and the mortality rate is low, the government can encourage people with mild illness to rest at home instead of going to the hospital, creating conditions for Health workers focus on treating more severe cases.

The outbreak of the new strain of coronary pneumonia (nCoV) from Wuhan City last December spread to 26 countries and territories. As of this morning, 813 people have died and the number of cases infected has reached 37,552. Singapore currently records 40 cases of nCoV infection.

Singapore officials on Monday raised the warning from yellow to orange for the pneumonia epidemic, hitting the SARS epidemic threshold of 2003 and H1N1 in 2009. This is the second highest after the red on the Singapore warning scale.

Immediately after the warning was raised to a level, Singaporeans flocked to supermarkets across the island nation to buy toilet paper, noodles and rice stockpiled because of the obsession with the SARS epidemic. Singapore officials have urged people not to stock up on unnecessary items.

Countries with nCoV pneumonia patients. Click on image to see details.