Chinese health officials declared the newly identified Wuhan coronavirus a class-A disease and placed strick precautionary and control measures on affected areas of the country on Wednesday.
In one move, authorities virtually locked down the source city of the virus, Wuhan – a city of 11 million people. Another 8 million live in the greater metropolitan area and are not affected by the lockdown within city limits.
The move followed the confirmation of the death toll reaching 17 on Wednesday. Officials shut down all outbound traffic including buses, subways, ferries, and other long-distance transportation methods, the Guardian reported.
Luxury Car Company Recalls Hundreds of Thousands of Cars Over Rearview Camera Defect
‘Stranger Things’ Directors Defend ‘Coming Out’ Scene That Had Fans Outraged
Christmas Drone Strike Killed 11 Christians in War-Torn African Nation
Major Trump Advisor Declares Which Major Red State City Will Replace NYC as Financial Capitol Thanks to Mamdani
Brown University shooting videos show awareness and planning, experts say
Soros-backed Dem reveals he and coalition of anti-Trump AGs met ‘daily’ to strategize lawsuits
Middle Eastern country stops sponsoring students studying in Britain over fear of radicalization: report
Heritage Foundation warns America ‘dangerously close’ to family breakdown point of no return
Expert warns painting slain anti-ICE activist as ‘George Floyd 2.0’ will fail
Inside the Trump administration’s effort to quickly reach audiences behind media walls in Venezuela, Iran
Black Lives Matter Bombshell: Socialist Dictator Maduro Worked with BLM and Mamdani’s Socialist Organization
Renee Good’s Lesbian Partner Breaks Silence, Says ICE Harassment, Stalking Was to ‘Support Our Neighbors’
Bill and Hillary Clinton Facing Charges Over Dodging Epstein Subpoenas — Again
Preliminary autopsy reveals possible cause of death for missing 4-year-old Alabama boy Johnathan Boley
Federal judge blocks Trump from cutting childcare funds to Democratic states over fraud concerns
No people in #Wuhan, C China's Hubei will be allowed to leave the city starting 10 a.m. of Jan. 23. Train stations and airport will shut down; the city bus, subway, ferry and long-distance shuttle bus will also be temporarily closed: local authority #WuhanPneumonia #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/8pohJ4Uixo
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) January 22, 2020
Officials report more than 570 people have been taken to hospitals after developing breathing complications after contracting the virus.
China’s National Health Commission Vice Minister Lin Bin told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday that the virus “may mutate and there is a risk of further spread,” NPR reported Wednesday evening.
“We have ensured management of export channels such as temperature checks at airports, train and bus stations, and ports … And we will reduce as much as possible events with large crowds,” Li told the reporters.
During a meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO), officials split on a two-two decision about whether to declare a “public health emergency.”
LIVE: Press conference on the Emergency Committee meeting on new #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) https://t.co/8WOYQk9Scf
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 22, 2020
Luxury Car Company Recalls Hundreds of Thousands of Cars Over Rearview Camera Defect
‘Stranger Things’ Directors Defend ‘Coming Out’ Scene That Had Fans Outraged
Christmas Drone Strike Killed 11 Christians in War-Torn African Nation
Major Trump Advisor Declares Which Major Red State City Will Replace NYC as Financial Capitol Thanks to Mamdani
Brown University shooting videos show awareness and planning, experts say
Soros-backed Dem reveals he and coalition of anti-Trump AGs met ‘daily’ to strategize lawsuits
Middle Eastern country stops sponsoring students studying in Britain over fear of radicalization: report
Heritage Foundation warns America ‘dangerously close’ to family breakdown point of no return
Expert warns painting slain anti-ICE activist as ‘George Floyd 2.0’ will fail
Inside the Trump administration’s effort to quickly reach audiences behind media walls in Venezuela, Iran
Black Lives Matter Bombshell: Socialist Dictator Maduro Worked with BLM and Mamdani’s Socialist Organization
Renee Good’s Lesbian Partner Breaks Silence, Says ICE Harassment, Stalking Was to ‘Support Our Neighbors’
Bill and Hillary Clinton Facing Charges Over Dodging Epstein Subpoenas — Again
Preliminary autopsy reveals possible cause of death for missing 4-year-old Alabama boy Johnathan Boley
Federal judge blocks Trump from cutting childcare funds to Democratic states over fraud concerns
“This is an evolving and complex situation,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in a press conference following their meeting. “Today there was an excellent discussion but it was also clear that to proceed we need more information.
Reporters asked Dr. Adhanom about the Chinese lockdown of Wuhan. After praising the Chinese government for their “openness in sharing data and information,” the director said, “We need some time to understand the specific measures that have been taken.”
He later expounded on that comment, saying “What they are doing is a very, very strong measure and with full commitment. We stressed to them that by having a strong action not only they will control the outbreak in their country but they will also minimize the chances of this outbreak spreading internationally.”
Chinese officials stressed the rapidly rising number of reported cases does not mean the virus is spreading exponentially. Rather, Director Li said the number is a result of a deeper understanding of the disease and improvements in their screening process.
The city of Wuhan is shutting down all public gatherings as the Lunar New Year celebration is set to begin. One of the events, the annual prayer-giving at the Guiyan Temple, drew 700,000 tourists in 2019, the Guardian reported.
In addition to shutting down outbound transportation networks, Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang said, “If it’s not necessary we suggest that people don’t come to Wuhan.”
Story cited here.
