China has locked out two cities at the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic that killed 17 people and infected nearly 600.
Dubai will screen passengers arriving on direct flights from China, the emirate airport operator said on Thursday, as the coronavirus epidemic in China killed 17 homes.
Passengers arriving at Dubai International will be subjected to a thermal control, said Dubai Airports.
China on Thursday locked two cities at the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic that killed 17 people and infected nearly 600, as health officials around the world struggle to prevent a global pandemic.
Health officials fear the rate of transmission will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel at home and abroad during the week-long vacation for the Lunar New Year, which begins on Saturday.
The previously unknown strain of the virus is believed to have emerged late last year from wild animals illegally traded at an animal market in the central city of Wuhan in China.
Most of the transportation in Wuhan, a city of 11 million, was suspended Thursday morning and people were told not to leave. A few hours later, state media in the nearby town of Huanggang, a town of some 6 million people, said they were imposing a similar lockdown.
Chinese authorities have not given any new details on the number of viral infections, but it has been reported in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and in several other countries, including the United States, fueling fears that it may occur. is already spreading all over the world.
State media released footage of one of Wuhan’s transportation hubs, Hankou Station, almost deserted, with doors blocked or barred. The government urges citizens not to leave the city.
The media reported that the motorway toll booths around Wuhan were closing, which would cut off highway exits. Guards were guarding the main highways, a resident told Reuters.
As the city sank into isolation, residents flocked to hospitals for checks and rushed for supplies, cleaning supermarket shelves and lining up for gas.
Authorities in Huanggang have ordered the closure of indoor entertainment venues, including cinemas and internet cafes, and asked citizens not to leave except under special circumstances, official media said.
Authorities confirmed 571 cases and 17 deaths by the end of Wednesday, the Chinese National Health Commission said. Earlier, he said that 393 other suspicious cases had been reported.
Out of eight known cases around the world, Thailand has confirmed four, while Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States have reported one each.
In a report released Wednesday, Imperial College London said it estimated a total of 4,000 cases of coronavirus in Wuhan as of January 18, an infection rate based on the number of cases reported in China and elsewhere.
