EU Commission chief delays Athens trip over coronavirus

By Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS (AA) - Amid fears of new coronavirus, rapidly spreading in Europe, the European Commission president Thursday postponed her visit to the Greek capital Athens.

"In view of the evolving situation in Europe related to COVID19 and in agreement with the Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis, I have decided to postpone my trip to Athens tomorrow," Von der Leyen announced on Twitter.

The top EU official said she will concentrate on the EU coordination efforts against COVID-19 revealed on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson is already in Athens.

"I am in Athens Thursday to meet and discuss with Greek authorities and stakeholders on protecting our European borders and our European values -- the two sides of our most valuable coin -- European solidarity," Johansen tweeted early on Thursday.

The worldwide death toll from the virus is over 4,600, with more than 124,500 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which on Wednesday declared the outbreak a global pandemic.