Coronavirus: More Chinese cities on lockdown
BEIJING More Chinese cities, including one just 175km from Shanghai, were put under lockdown yesterday, as the impact of the deadly coronavirus outbreak spread further from Wuhan, the epicentre.
Around 12 million people are affected by the new restrictions, adding to the tens of millions of people already quarantined.
The city of Taizhou, parts of Hangzhou - including the district that is home to the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Alibaba - and some of Ningbo will allow only one person for each household to go outside every two days to buy necessities, city officials said. Taizhou - 850km from the epicentre in Hubei province - is also suspending 95 train services into the city.
In addition, residential communities will be allowed to use only one entrance and residents must show their ID each time they come or go, Taizhou's government said on its official WeChat account.
Landlords were also forbidden from renting property to people from "severely affected areas such as Hubei" if they have travelled to their hometowns recently, it added.
In the Hangzhou districts, additional measures included mandatory mask wearing and compulsory ID and temperature checks. The latest restrictions follow similar measures announced on Sunday in Wenzhou, which has a population of nine million people.
The city has restricted the movement of residents and closed roads.
Zhejiang - the eastern province where these cities are located - has 829 cases, the highest number outside Hubei, where more than 50 million people are under lockdown.
Nationwide, more than 20,000 people have been infected by the new virus, with at least 425 known to have died.
Meanwhile, Macau, the world's biggest gambling hub, said yesterday it had asked all casino operators to suspend operations for two weeks to help curb the spread of the virus.
The announcement by Macau's chief executive Ho Iat Seng came as it reported 10 confirmed cases of the virus and tight restrictions on movements in and out of the territory.
Mr Ho said he would be speaking to casino owners. No immediate details were given as to when the suspension would begin. - AFP, REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
