Coronavirus: The legal impact on force majeure events

On January 30, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a “public health emergency of international concern” following the outbreak, and rapid spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (now officially known as Covid-19).

WHO has escalated the outbreak to the level of a “pandemic”, namely, the worldwide spread of a new disease. The Chinese government, and several foreign governments, have imposed a number of restrictions, including mandatory office closures, full or partial lock-down of cities, and travel bans to prevent spreading coronavirus.