Elon Musk weighs in on the coronavirus, calling panic over the outbreak 'dumb'

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

• Elon Musk has weighed in on the coronavirus outbreak.
• "The coronavirus panic is dumb," the Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted Friday afternoon.
• His comments come as the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide. There have been 240 cases reported in the US and 14 people have died, including one in California. Musk lives in Los Angeles.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk has weighed in on the coronavirus, downplaying panic over the outbreak.

"The coronavirus panic is dumb," Musk tweeted on Friday afternoon, his first comments on the outbreak.

The coronavirus, which began in Wuhan, China, two months ago, causes a respiratory disease known as COVID-19. Cases have been recorded in 93 countries, more than 100,000 people have been infected, and more than 3,400 people have died from the virus.

Musk's comment comes as the disease becomes more widespread in the US. There have been 240 cases reported in the US, and 14 people have died, including one in California, where Musk lives.

The World Health Organization considers the coronavirus outbreak an international public-health emergency, warning that the window of opportunity to contain the virus is narrowing.

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