Beijing - China ramped up measures
to contain a virus that has killed 26 people and infected more
than 800, suspending public transport in 10 cities, shutting
temples over the Lunar New Year and even closing the Forbidden
City and part of the Great Wall.
The week-long holiday to welcome in the Year of the Rat
began on Friday, raising fears that the infection rate could
accelerate as hundreds of millions of people travel to their
homes and abroad. The risks also persuaded Shanghai Disneyland
theme park to close from Saturday until further notice.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the new
coronavirus an emergency for China but stopped short of
declaring the epidemic of international concern.
While most of the cases and all of the deaths have been in
China, the virus has been detected in Thailand, Vietnam,
Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. It
was highly likely Britain also had cases, a health official
said.
In Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the outbreak began
last month, pharmacies were running out of supplies and
hospitals were flooded with nervous resident seeking medical
checks.
"There’s so much news, so much data, every 10 minutes
there's an update, it's frightening, especially for people like
us in a severely hit area," said Lily Jin, 30, a resident of the
city. "Even if you're not ill you’ll frighten yourself into
getting sick.”
As of Thursday, there were 830 confirmed cases and 26 people
had died, the National Health Commission said.
A policeman uses a digital thermometer to take a driver's temperature at a checkpoint at a highway toll gate in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. Picture: Chinatopix via AP
Most cases have been in Wuhan, where the virus is believed
to have originated in a market that traded illegally in
wildlife. Preliminary research suggested it crossed to humans
from snakes.
The city of 11 million people, and neighbouring Huanggang, a
city of about 7 million, were in virtual lockdown. Rail stations
were largely shut, with few trains stopping, flights suspended
and checkpoints on main roads in and out.
About 10 people got off a high-speed train that pulled into
Wuhan on Friday afternoon but nobody got on before it resumed
its journey.
"I need to be with my family," said one passenger, dragging
two large cases out of the station. He declined to give his
name.
Wuhan was rushing to build a 1,000-bed hospital for the
infected by Monday, the official Changjiang Daily reported.
Prefabricated buildings were going up around a holiday
complex originally intended for workers, set in gardens by a
lake on the outskirts of the city.
Television footage showed about 30 mechanical diggers
clawing at brown earth preparing the site.
Wuhan hospitals called for donations of protective equipment
such as masks and suits, as supplies ran low.
Several airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan while
airports worldwide have stepped up the screening of passengers
from China.
CHINA EMERGENCY, NOT GLOBAL
The WHO said on Thursday it was a "bit too early" to
designate the outbreak a public health emergency of
international concern, which would require countries to step up
their response.
"Make no mistake, though, this is an emergency in China,"
said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The previously unknown virus, which has no cure and can
spread through respiratory transmission, has created alarm
because there are a number of unknowns. It is too early to know
just how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads.
Symptoms include fever, difficulty breathing and coughing.
Most of the fatalities have been elderly, many with
pre-existing conditions, the WHO said.
Three research teams are to start work on vaccines, the
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations said. The plan
is to have at least one in clinical trials by June.
Some experts believe the virus is not as dangerous as the
one that caused the 2002-03 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome, which also began in China and killed nearly 800
people, or the one that caused Middle East Respiratory Syndrome,
which has killed more than 700 people since 2012.
GREAT WALL, FORBIDDEN CITY TO CLOSE
Chinese authorities have advised people to avoid crowds and
10 cities in the central province of Hubei, where Wuhan is
located, have suspended some transport, the Hubei Daily
reported.
Some sections of the Great Wall near Beijing will be closed
from Saturday, state media said.
Famous temples have also closed, including Beijing's Lama
Temple where people make offerings for the new year, have also
been closed as has the Forbidden City, the capital's most famous
tourist attraction.
Shanghai Disneyland will close from Saturday. The theme park
has a 100,000 daily capacity and sold out during last year's
Lunar New Year holiday.
The virus is expected to dent China's growth after months of
economic worries over trade tensions with the United States,
unnerving foreign companies doing business there.
A National Australia Bank research team estimated China's
gross domestic product growth for the first quarter could be hit
by about 1 percentage point.
Shares in luxury goods firms have suffered from the
anticipated drop in demand from China, and on Friday French
spirits group Remy Cointreau said it was "clearly
concerned" about the potential impact.