HANGZHOU, China, Feb 5, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Millions more people have been
ordered to stay indoors as China battles to curb the spread of a new virus
that authorities said Wednesday has already killed nearly 500 people.
With more than 24,000 cases in China, a growing number of cities have been
imposing a range of restrictions in recent days far from central Hubei
province, the epicentre of the outbreak, as authorities struggle to contain
the virus.
Global concerns have risen as cases continue to spread abroad, with 10
people testing positive for the virus on a ship quarantined off the coast of
Japan.
Italy announced that passengers from every international flight would be
scanned for fevers.
Vietnam, which has detected 10 cases, joined a growing list of countries
banning arrivals from China, and it was setting up field hospitals with
thousands of beds to handle a potential spike in coronavirus patients in the
country.
And Hong Kong, which reported its first coronavirus death this week, said
anyone arriving from the mainland will face a mandatory two-week quarantine
from Saturday.
In Hangzhou, some 175 kilometres (110 miles) southwest of Shanghai, fences
blocked streets near the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Alibaba — one of
the world’s most valuable companies — as a fighter jet circled overhead.
The building appeared to be shut down, while deliverymen moved in and out
of nearby fenced-in residential areas to drop off groceries. Many people were
also seen going out.
The firm is based in one of three Hangzhou districts subject to new
restrictions that allow only one person per household to go outside every two
days to buy necessities.
“Please don’t go out, don’t go out, don’t go out!” blared a message on a
loudspeaker urging people to wear masks, wash their hands regularly and
report any people who are from Hubei — reflecting a common fear that people
from the province might infect others.
At least three other cities in Zhejiang province — Taizhou, Wenzhou and
parts of Ningbo — have imposed the same measures, affecting 18 million
people.
Similar restrictions have been put in place as far away as Heilongjiang
province on the Russia border, and in the central city of Zhumadian
authorities said one person would be allowed to leave each household only
every five days.
Residents of the city of seven million were also offered cash rewards for
informing on people from neighbouring Hubei who were in the city.
– Jitters – The disease is believed to have emerged in December in a Wuhan
market that sold wild animals, and spread rapidly as people travelled for the
Lunar New Year holiday in January.
The Ministry of Public Security said “political security” was the “top
priority” in confronting the epidemic.
“We should take strict precautions against and crack down on all kinds of
disruptive activities by hostile forces,” ministry secretary Zhao Kezhi said
in a briefing.
The statement came days after the top leadership admitted “shortcomings” in
its handling of the outbreak, for which authorities have been criticised for
withholding information.
The death toll has steadily increased, rising to 490 in China on Wednesday
after Hubei reported 65 more people had died.
Most deaths have been in the province and officials have noted that the
death rate, at around two percent, is below the mortality rate of SARS, which
killed some 800 people in 2002-2003.
Two fatalities have been reported outside the mainland, in Hong Kong and
the Philippines.
The outbreak has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a
global health emergency, several governments to institute travel
restrictions, and airlines to suspend flights to and from China.
United and American Airlines said Wednesday they have added Hong Kong to
their China flight suspensions.
China has reacted angrily against travel bans, noting that the WHO does not
advise imposing them.
It has accused the US of spreading “panic” in its response to the
coronavirus, including its ban on Chinese travellers, and on Wednesday it
took another swipe.
“Panic is more deadly and contagious than any virus,” foreign ministry
spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a press briefing.
– ‘Window of opportunity’ –
The WHO said Tuesday that dramatic measures taken by China offered a chance
to halt transmission.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the great majority of cases are
in China.
“That doesn’t mean that it won’t get worse. But for sure we have a window
of opportunity to act,” he said.
Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand all reported new infections not imported
from China on Tuesday.
Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has closed all but two land crossings with the
Chinese mainland.