FoodsafetyPeter

Each time a new disease emerge, make people sick, some seriously, and kill some people, we should be worried. However, we cannot predict how each of these disease evolves. Some like SARS disappeared after 6 months. Others can be much more severe. But often, overreacting and panic can cause more harm than the disease itself. This one like many other respiratory diseases can best be avoided by applying basic good gesture in our daily life:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

For more info on the disease :

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Very low probability. This virus like other coronaviruses can persist/survive on surfaces (door handle, elevator buttons, handrails, etc.. and also on foods if an infected person transfer the virus inadvertently to these surfaces. But it will not survive long. A few min to a few days, depending on combination of temperature, humidity and light. On foods, it will not survive usual cooking temperatures.

Here are some of the main ones:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters

Also see our Q&A:

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses

That is in extreme cases, mostly we are talking about minutes to hours.

This is what the world is trying to do now. 1) identify and treat cases, 2) identify their close contacts and follow these contacts for sign of symptoms, 3 for each contact that become sick and is confirmed to be infected, repeat 1 and 2. It is about breaking chains of transmissions. The more cases and the more chains of transmissions, the more difficult it becomes. It worked in 2003 with SARS after 6 months.