Hong Kong has announced plans to cut cross-border travel between the city and mainland China, ahead of the coronavirus spread. Namely, ferries, and high-speed trains crossing the border will be suspended from January 30, according to Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam.
In addition to suspending train and ferry services, BBC informs that flights to mainland China as well will be halved. In addition, people will also no longer be able to receive permits to visit Hong Kong from the mainland.
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Currently, Wuhan, along with the wider Hubei province, are effectively in a lockdown, as strict transport restrictions have been imposed in and out of the area. In addition, wearing masks in public is now mandatory in some Chinese cities.
Over 100 people have lost their lives in China, with confirmed infections reaching surging to more than 6,000. The virus has now spread across China and to at least 16 countries worldwide.
Namely, Germany and Japan have confirmed that they had cases involving people who had not travelled to China but caught the virus from someone who had. This was also the case for Vietnam.
Another incident was reported when a seafarer arrived in Singapore from Wuhan on 20 January while not showing any symptom during his flight. Yet, it is stated that the man later developed symptoms of the virus and was identified as a suspected case at a screening station at the ferry terminal of Marina South Pier on Tuesday. The Ministry of Health confirmed the situation and added that “Prior to hospital admission, the case worked and lived on board a cargo vessel“.
What is more, various foreign governments with large numbers of citizens in Wuhan are planning air evacuations.
Live map depicts spread of coronavirus
In order to provide a clear picture of where the new virus has been detected, as well as the number of fatalities, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at John Hopkins, has created a live, interactive map, which depicts in real time, the spread of the virus.
See also
Chinese Ports establish precautionary measures against Coronavirus
Cruise industry takes measures against Coronavirus
Shipping industry alerts on coronavirus outbreak
Potential problems arising due to the Coronavirus
