International News

China Quarantines City of Wuhan: Population 11 Million

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.



California sues Trump administration over allegedly ‘unlawful’ pipeline restart approval years after oil spill
Trump’s pardon of House Dem Cuellar back in the spotlight as his brother faces indictment
Mike Johnson Tells March for Life Attendees His Teen Parents Were Told to Abort Him, Is ‘Eternally Grateful’ They Refused
Judge’s rejection of Don Lemon charges faces conflict of interest concerns
RNC takes first step toward greenlighting Trump’s midterm convention
FCC Puts Jimmy Kimmel and ‘The View’ on Notice in Warning to Shows ‘Motivated by Partisan Purposes’
More than a million veterans left without primary care providers because of VA staffing losses, watchdog warns
Indiana judge and wife allegedly shot by ‘high-ranking’ gang member facing trial in victim’s court
Judge who blasted Trump as ‘authoritarian’ blocks US from deporting pro-Palestinian campus activists
Surgeon accused of killing ex-wife and her dentist husband gets first look at Ohio court with legal defense
House Oversight Committee widens investigation into alleged Minnesota fraud
Republican National Committee Moves to Change Party Rules for Unprecedented Midterm Convention
DOJ Accepts Don Lemon’s Challenge as He Says ‘Keep Trying’ to Arrest Me
Iranian prosecutor denies canceling 800 executions as Trump claimed
House GOP slammed by conservatives for joining Dems on controversial ‘kill switch’ amendment

Officials report more than 570 people have been taken to hospitals after developing breathing complications after contracting the virus.

See also  Newsom posts himself as ‘Sparkle Beach’ Ken Barbie doll in clap back at Bessent

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.”


California sues Trump administration over allegedly ‘unlawful’ pipeline restart approval years after oil spill
Trump’s pardon of House Dem Cuellar back in the spotlight as his brother faces indictment
Mike Johnson Tells March for Life Attendees His Teen Parents Were Told to Abort Him, Is ‘Eternally Grateful’ They Refused
Judge’s rejection of Don Lemon charges faces conflict of interest concerns
RNC takes first step toward greenlighting Trump’s midterm convention
FCC Puts Jimmy Kimmel and ‘The View’ on Notice in Warning to Shows ‘Motivated by Partisan Purposes’
More than a million veterans left without primary care providers because of VA staffing losses, watchdog warns
Indiana judge and wife allegedly shot by ‘high-ranking’ gang member facing trial in victim’s court
Judge who blasted Trump as ‘authoritarian’ blocks US from deporting pro-Palestinian campus activists
Surgeon accused of killing ex-wife and her dentist husband gets first look at Ohio court with legal defense
House Oversight Committee widens investigation into alleged Minnesota fraud
Republican National Committee Moves to Change Party Rules for Unprecedented Midterm Convention
DOJ Accepts Don Lemon’s Challenge as He Says ‘Keep Trying’ to Arrest Me
Iranian prosecutor denies canceling 800 executions as Trump claimed
House GOP slammed by conservatives for joining Dems on controversial ‘kill switch’ amendment

See also  More than a million veterans left without primary care providers because of VA staffing losses, watchdog warns

“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.”

See also  Noem and Lewandowski waged campaign to oust Trump’s border leader: Sources

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter