onsdag 12. februar 2020

China to introduce new coronavirus precautions as 160 million head back to work

China expects around 160 million employees to return to their workplaces in the next week, as the country seeks to minimize the economic impact of the novel coronavirus. Next Tuesday marks the official end of the Lunar New Year period, an auspicious occasion on the Chinese calendar, that this year has been marred by the viral illness that has claimed more than 1,110 lives in mainland China.

The huge mobilization of people comes despite prior warnings for citizens to avoid large crowds. In a news briefing Tuesday, Chinese officials said action would be taken to reduce the risk of transmission. These include limiting the carrying capacity of long-distance coaches, enhancing the sterilization of public transport, and carrying out temperature checks on passengers, said Xu Yahua, Director of Transport Services Department.

Deaths at the center of the outbreak, in Hubei province, appeared to have peaked Wednesday, though concern was growing over the situation on a cruise ship docked in Japan, where a quarantine officer himself became the latest case.