The local government of Wuhan, the center of the coronavirus, announced that all public transportation in the city — local buses, long-distanced buses, subway and ferry — have been closed today, according to China Daily. Trains, planes, public transport suspended and all public gatherings cancelled as number of infections rises to 571
China told the 11 million residents of Wuhan on Thursday that they would no longer be allowed to leave, as the authorities step up efforts to halt the spread of a new coronavirus that originated in the city in December and has now killed 17 people and infected 571.
China’s official news agency Xinhua says the move is meant to effectively cut off the virus spread, resolutely curb the outbreak and guarantee the people's health and safety.
The decision came as hundreds of millions of people are travelling across China for the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts on Friday, and state television said the number of confirmed infections had risen to 571, according to Xinhua.
Chinese health authorities announced Thursday that 571 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) had been reported in 25 provincial-level regions in the country by the end of Wednesday.
A total of 393 suspected cases have been reported, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).
Citing the Commission, Xinhua says the pneumonia situation had resulted in 17 deaths, all in central China's Hubei Province. The deaths reported from the disease were aged between 48 and 89, according to the commission.
