Coronavirus Update: Death Toll Nears 500, Hong Kong Imposes Quarantines, U.S. Evacuates More Americans
Worker wearing mask in open market in China
TODAY’S FACTS AND FIGURES
The number of confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus rose by 3,887 to 24,326, Chinese health officials said Wednesday morning. The death toll jumped by 65 to 492.
CORONAVIRUS NEWS
02-05 Hong Kong’s government said it will require people arriving from mainland China to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine in an effort to the potential for new cases of the coronavirus. Carrie Lam, chief executive of the special administrative region, has resisted calls from some lawmakers to seal off the border with China.
02-05 Japanese officials reported that at least ten passengers on board the Diamond Princess tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. The ship arrived in Yokohama on Monday. The ten patients – two Australians, three Japanese, three from Hong Kong, one American, and one Filipino, were taken to local hospitals and the ship will remain under quarantine in Yokohama, Princess Cruises said in a news release.
02-05 Hundreds more Americans arrived on two evacuation flights from Wuhan arranged by the U.S. government. The new arrivals will be temporarily quartered at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif., and at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
02-05 “Please don’t go out, don’t go out,” a blared a voice on a loudspeaker imploring people to wash their hands, wear masks, and report any visitors from Hubei. In China, a total of 56 million people are under virtual lockdown. Numerous cities outside Hubei including Taizhou, Wenzhou, and parts of Ningbo, have imposed similar measures.
02-05 Apple’s Major suppliers, including iPhone manufacturer Hai Hon Precision Co., plan to restart full production on February 10 despite the impediments created by the outbreak of the coronavirus.
02-04 United Airlines followed American in suspending flights to Hong Kong. United’s suspension goes into effect on February 8 and will continue through February 20.
02-04 Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor barred civil servants from wearing surgical masks, in order to save the masks for use by medical staff on the front lines. Lam also said Hong Kong would introduce a new digital platform that holds a patient’s travel history in order to protect medical personnel.
02-04 Canada was caught off guard by the severity of the novel coronavirus outbreak and the result left the Ottawa government scrambling to get Canadian citizens out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. An evacuation plan only began to come about on Sunday, media reports indicate, and it is still unclear when repatriation will take place.
02-04 American Airlines suspended effectively immediately all flights to Hong Kong. The airline cited lower demand amidst fears of the coronavirus. The suspension is scheduled through February 20.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
