Force majeure – Legal impact of recent coronavirus outbreak on international trade
COVID-19, a new virus commonly known as coronavirus, that is causing an outbreak of respiratory illness, has now become a serious disease detected in more than 60 countries. First identified in early December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, the coronavirus quickly spread across the globe. On Jan. 27, 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its travel warning for China to Level 3 – the highest level – warning travelers to avoid nonessential travel to the country. On Jan. 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global emergency over the deadly coronavirus outbreak, after China reported its biggest single-day jump in the death toll and there was an increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in many countries across the globe. As of March 4, 2020, the National Health and Care Commission for the People’s Republic of China confirmed 80,566 cases, 3,015 deaths and 522 suspected cases within China related to the virus. In addition, there are now over 14,614 confirmed cases globally outside of China, including:
- 5,766 in South Korea
- 3,089 in Italy
- 2,922 in Iran
- 331 in Japan
- 112 in Singapore
- 153 in the United States
To read the full article, download the PDF in English or Chinese.
For more information please contact Yuanyou Yang or any member of Porter Wright’s International Business & Trade Practice Group.
Information about COVID-19 and its impact on local, state and federal levels is changing rapidly. This article may not reflect updates to news, executive orders, legislation and regulations made after its publication date. Visit our COVID-19 resource page to find the most current information.
