Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Ministry on Saturday stated that the four Croatians who were in Wuhan where the novel coronavirus was first detected, would be evacuated from China to France in the course of the day and quarantined for 14 days. Serbian authorities announced the evacuation of their citizens as well.

Evacuation of both Croatian and Serbian nationals will be conducted with the assistance of French authorities. Upon their arrival in southern France, they will undergo a medical check and stay in quarantine.

Bosnian Foreign Affairs Ministry earlier confirmed that no citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently staying in China's city Wuhan.

According to the latest reports, 259 persons were killed by the coronavirus, all of them in China, and 249 in the Hubei province, where Wuhan is located.

The USA declared a temporary entry ban for all foreigners who recently visited China, while all Americans returning from that country will be put in quarantine.

The presence of the virus has been detected in 25 countries worldwide, including Russia, UK, Sweden and Italy.