CHINA-HEALTH CRISIS: CORONAVIRUS
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By 10.00pm on the 23rd January evening, China had confirmed 639 cases of coronavirus while the official death toll rose to 18. All recorded deaths were in Hubei, where there were 444 confirmed cases. By 23rd January night, a total of seven cities in Hubei had imposed transport bans, including Wuhan, Ezhou, Huanggang, Xiantao, Zhijiang, Chibi and Qianjiang. Airlines are canceling outbound flights from Wuhan as the city was placed under quarantine from 23January morning. Air China canceled 28 flights from Wuhan; China Eastern, 78 flights; and China Southern, 108. The Ministry of Transport ordered all commercial vehicles and vessels to stop entering Wuhan. The train station in Huanggang, which has a population of 7.5 million and is 70 kilometres from Wuhan, has been suspended until further notice from midnight on January 22. City authorities said all vehicles will be checked, and bars and cinemas will be closed. The railway station in a third nearby city, Ezhou, which has a population of over one million, was also to close from 23 January night.
Worried that the virus can easily spread in crowded places, local governments around China have also closed down famous tourist sites. In Beijing, the administrators of Forbidden City announced that the museum will be closed indefinitely beginning on January 25.Near Beijing, the Tanzhe and Jietai temples; Miaofeng Mountain, a Taoist site of worship; and other tourist sites would also be closed beginning January 24. Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province and one of China’s hottest tourist destinations announced on January 23, that all major sightseeing locations, temples, and museums would be closed from January 24. The same day, the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and Shanghai University announced that due to the new disease, college entrance examinations for prospective students that were planned for February would be postponed. The schools said they will notify students when they decide on a future date. On January 23, China's Finance Ministry allocated 1 billion yuan ($144 million) to Hubei Province to help the province fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Interestingly, despite the extensive reporting in China's official media except the People's Daily and Beijing News, Xi Jinping made no reference to it in his speech on the occasion of Chinese New Year. Outside China, five countries so far have confirmed eight cases. |