China Locks Down Wuhan City... Mexico and Brazil Also Report Suspected Cases Following the US

Early Morning of the 23rd, Sudden Enforcement... Resident Movement Restricted and Public Transportation Blocked
Rapid Spread of Deaths and Infections in China
WHO Delays Declaration of Emergency

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Wuhan City in Hubei Province, China, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus infection known as 'Wuhan Pneumonia,' which has plunged the world into fear of a pandemic, has implemented a temporary lockdown blocking all movement. The date for lifting the lockdown has not been determined.

On the 23rd, the Wuhan Novel Coronavirus Control and Response Emergency Center announced through state-run media such as China Central Television (CCTV) and Xinhua News Agency that from 10 a.m. that day, all public transportation within the city was completely suspended. According to the related notice, city buses, subways, ferries, as well as long-distance public transportation routes connecting to other cities, were temporarily halted. Wuhan Airport and train stations were also temporarily closed. The Consulate General in Wuhan also reported that "all flights departing from Wuhan have been canceled."

The city authorities stated, "The timing for lifting the city lockdown has not been decided," and "the resumption of transportation will be announced later." Regarding the background of this lockdown measure, they explained, "It is to fully concentrate on controlling the novel coronavirus by blocking transmission routes and ensuring the lives and safety of the public."

The notice specified that "citizens must not leave the city without special reasons," effectively banning travel outside the city even by private car.

Wearing masks has been made mandatory in public places within Wuhan. National government officials and public institution employees are required to wear masks even while working.

The Wuhan city authorities have also left open the possibility of extending the lockdown to neighboring areas. Prior to this announcement, all buses traveling from nearby Jiangsu Province to Wuhan were suspended, and special inspection lanes were set up at airports and train stations to separately manage passengers arriving from Wuhan.

As of midnight on the same day, the number of deaths in China due to Wuhan Pneumonia was reported to be 17. The previous day, the death toll was announced as 9, but it doubled within a day. The number of confirmed cases in China is 571, with 95 severe cases. The number of suspected cases is 393 across 13 provinces.

On the same day, the World Health Organization (WHO) held an emergency committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the Wuhan Pneumonia situation but did not reach a conclusion on whether to declare a global emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press briefing, "Sufficient information is needed to declare an emergency." WHO will reconvene the committee on the 23rd to discuss whether to declare an emergency.

An international emergency is a regulation used only for the most serious infectious diseases. When declared, countries are advised to refrain from trade and travel with the affected country, and an international medical response system is established. If WHO declares an emergency for the novel coronavirus, it would be the sixth case in the past decade.

In the United States, where the first confirmed case was reported the previous day, another suspected case has been found. Although U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized that Wuhan Pneumonia is perfectly controlled, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that a suspected infection case has been reported and is under close investigation. On the same day, suspected cases were also reported in Mexico and Brazil involving individuals who had visited China.