Palestinian refugees in countries gripped by the coronavirus outbreak are in good health and safe, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Palestine’s embassies in the infected countries confirmed that none of the Palestinians abroad have tested positive for the virus.

The ministry added that the embassies and missions continue to reach out to the Palestinian refugee communities abroad around the clock to make sure they are in good health and take note of any reported coronavirus symptoms.

World Health Organization declared Wednesday that the coronavirus outbreak spreading around the globe can now be characterized as a pandemic. WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO is "deeply concerned by the alarming levels of spread and severity" of the outbreak. 

Italy has the biggest coronavirus outbreak outside China, with more than 800 dead and more than 12,000 COVID-19 infections. The whole nation is under stringent travel restrictions.

There have now been more than 120,000 cases worldwide, and more than 4,300 people have died. The vast majority of cases are mild, and almost half of those infected have already recovered.