Corona virus is seen as a major threat internationally

A majority of people in eight countries have found the spread of the novel corona virus to be a major or very serious threat. Almost every second German sees the new type of lung disease as a global threat , as can be seen from the international survey published by the Ipsos Institute on Wednesday.

Only 16 percent of the German survey participants assume that the effects from the virus are rather small or very small. The fear of the virus is greater in other countries.Especially in Japan (66 percent), Australia (61 percent) and the United States (55 percent), respondents see the epidemic as a major or very major threat to the world. The perception of threats in Great Britain, Canada and Russia is lower than in Germany.

Globally, not even one in five believes that the epidemic will soon be over. Support for mitigation measures is strong in all participating countries. 78 percent of German respondents favor mandatory examinations of all people entering from affected countries. 74 percent are of the opinion that the federal government should have a legal quarantine for people who could potentially have been infected with the virus.Every second German citizen demands that the government should ban travel to and from the countries concerned. Travel bans are particularly popular in Australia (73 percent), Japan (71 percent) and the United States (70 percent).