Ambassador He Xiangdong was speaking at an event at City Hall to celebrate the links between Ireland and China
The outbreak, which was first discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected around 90,000 people worldwide and killed almost 3,900 people.
It has also led to speculation that another worldwide recession could be on the way.
Cork has strong education and business links with China and has been twinned with Shanghai since 2005.
Speaking to RedFM News, Ambassador He says it's normal that people would not realise the consequences of a totally new virus:
