Chinese officials will cut off the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has affected hundreds of people in several countries, in a major escalation of the battle to contain the spread of the illness.
Starting Thursday morning at 10 a.m., the city of Wuhan, which has over 2 million more residents than New York City, will halt all public transportation services, including buses, subways, and ferries. Trains and flights out of Wuhan will be canceled as well, according to China Daily. Chinese officials are urging citizens not to leave the city unless they have an urgent need to do so.
The virus has already infected 509 people and killed 17 across mainland China, and cases have been reported in Thailand, South Korea, and Japan.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that a Seattle, Washington, man in his 30s was infected with the virus, the first such case in the United States. He arrived in Seattle from Wuhan just days before the CDC and Department of Homeland Security began screening procedures for arrivals from Wuhan at the country’s largest airports.
The World Health Organization has convened a meeting Wednesday to decide whether to designate the pneumonia-like virus a “public health emergency of international concern.” Such a designation would alert other countries to send aid and would improve reportings of the illness.
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