US to evacuate citizens as China warns coronavirus spread is accelerating

At least 48 million people are on lockdown in central China with a travel ban covering 15 cities

Simon Denyer,Shibani Mahtani,Gerry Shih
Saturday 25 January 2020 22:43 GMT
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China rushes to build hospitals following coronavirus outbreak

China's leader Xi Jinping warned Saturday of an "accelerating spread" of the coronavirus, adding to worries about the scope of a health crisis that has claimed at least 42 lives and triggered emergency health measures in cities across China.

Xi's remarks of a "grave" situation came as China kicked off its traditional New Year's celebrations amid a backdrop of caution and stark measures seeking to contain the virus.

At least 48 million people were ordered on lockdown in central China with a travel ban covering 15 cities in the central Hubei province, where the virus was first encountered.

Across the country, Chinese authorities have cancelled the temple fairs and festivals that normally accompany the nation's biggest holiday, while the Forbidden City in Beijing, the most popular sections of the Great Wall and Shanghai Disneyland are all closed to visitors.

The government has also suspended all tour groups from journeys outside the country, state media reported, in another attempt to keep the virus from possibly spreading to new regions and countries. Earlier Saturday, authorities announced plans to temporarily halt inter-province buses to and from Beijing, beginning Sunday.

The United States, France and Russia were working to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan despite a lockdown on the city.

France has confirmed three cases of the virus, and the United States has confirmed two, saying at least 50 people are under observation for the illness in 22 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The US is arranging a charter flight on Sunday to fly its citizens and diplomats back from Wuhan, according to The Wall Street Journal. French officials are working on a plan to evacuate nationals out of Wuhan by allowing them to take a bus to Changsha, about 100 miles southwest of Wuhan, according to the South China Morning Post.

And Russian officials are working with China to organize the departure of Russian citizens from Wuhan and the Hubei province, Georgy Egorov, press officer of the Russian Embassy in China, told Russia's RIA Novosti. Up to 7,000 Russian citizens are on organized tours in China, the executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, Maya Lomidze, told Russian news agency Interfax.

The International Olympic Committee has moved some Summer Games qualifying events from Wuhan. From March 3 to 11, Amman, Jordan, will host boxing qualifier matches for Asia and Oceana that were originally set for Wuhan next month. A women's soccer qualifying match beginning Feb. 3 that was also planned for Wuhan has been shifted to Nanjing, China.

What do we know about the new form of coronavirus?

Twenty-four provinces and municipalities in mainland China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Xinjiang, with a combined population of 1.2 billion people, have announced the highest level of emergency response to try to control the spread of the virus.

Health authorities around the globe are watching as three cases have been confirmed in France, two in the United States and one in Australia, all in patients who had recently travelled to China. There have also been cases in Japan, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

In the United States, at least 50 people are under observation for the illness in 22 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after two patients, a man in his 30s from Snohomish County, Washington, and a woman who lives in Chicago, were confirmed as infected on Tuesday and Friday respectively. Authorities are monitoring 50 of the man's contacts for signs of infection.

Those infected with coronavirus are transmitting the disease to two to three people each, two studies have found, helping to explain the virus's rapid spread.

Officials must stop more than 60% of the virus's transmission to control the outbreak, the scientists said, which will be a challenge because it is clear the disease is being passed human-to-human.

China has taken drastic steps in recent days to try to contain the outbreak, including a quarantine of 48 million citizens, halting inter-province buses to and from Beijing and suspending all tour groups from journeys outside the country.

Scientists still have many questions about the virus, which they are working to understand as quickly as possible. The severity spectrum of the disease remains unclear, and it is not clear whether people with mild symptoms are able to transmit the virus, researchers said.

Although the outbreak is a "very serious public-health threat, the immediate risk to the US public is low at this time," Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters Friday.

There are now fears the virus could disrupt the Tokyo Olympics

Microbiologist Yuen, one of the studies' authors, said the wild animal or game meat trade had obviously been rekindled since 2003, something he called "understandable" since changing a country's food culture is always difficult. But he called for China to regulate its markets better.

"The lesson of this major epidemic is that the life, ecosystem and habitat of wildlife must be respected," he said in an email. "If we infringe into their habitats to the extent of farming and trading them, the viruses of different wild life can come together with genetic exchanges which can lead to jumping from animal into human and spread from human to human."

"The price of such epidemic is staggering, and this should not be allowed to happen again."

In an accompanying comment in the Lancet, experts called the virus "of global health concern," adding "we need to be wary of the current outbreak turning into a sustained epidemic or even a pandemic."

In Japan, 400,000 Chinese tourists are expected this week for the Lunar New Year holiday, when resorts and hotels are typically packed, including many on direct flights from Wuhan, NHK reported.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said airlines coming into Japan had been asked to distribute health surveys and advise customers to report symptoms, while checks had also been stepped up in customers arriving by cruise ship.

Passengers wear protective masks to protect against the spread of the Coronavirus as they arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport, California

Some politicians and commentators worried the virus might disrupt the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the summer, but the organisers tried to downplay concerns.

"We consider taking measures against infectious diseases constitutes an important part of our plans to host a safe and secure games," the Olympic organisers said in a statement, vowing to work closely with the authorities to discuss necessary measures.

One candy store owner in the town of Hakone west of Tokyo isn't taking any chances, putting up a sign in Chinese telling people from that country they were "banned" from entering his store, the Asahi newspaper reported.

Washington Post

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