China: Shandong province to ban long-distance buses over virus fear

As Shanghai reported its first death from the novel coronavirus, China has started taking drastic measures to contain the spread of the virus. Chinese state media reported that the eastern Shandong province will suspend long-distance buses entering the region, after similar announcements were made for Tianjin, Beijing and the historic Xi’an.

China has already put two of its cities under lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. After public transport was restricted in Wuhan, the centre of the novel coronavirus (CoV) outbreak, Huanggang is also being put under lockdown to rein in the spread of the deadly virus 

Read: Canada Confirms Its First 'presumptive' Case Of Deadly Coronavirus

Evacuation planned for foreigners

Countries across the globe, including the United States, France, and Australia, are preparing to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan. The Indian embassy in Beijing has also issued a travel advisory for people visiting India from China. The embassy said that travellers should avoid close contact with people who are unwell or showing symptoms of illness. It also asked all travellers from China, especially from Wuhan city, to monitor their health closely. 

Meanwhile, Canada has reported its first ‘presumptive’ case of deadly coronavirus, detected in a man who returned to Toronto from Wuhan. Barbara Yaffe, deputy chief medical officer for the province of Ontario, informed in a press conference that the patient has been admitted to a hospital in Toronto.

Read: US To Evacuate Its Citizens From Wuhan Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

After an International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee meeting on January 23, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General said that he was ‘very impressed’ by the detail and depth of China’s presentation. The Director-General has stalled the decision on declaring it a  public health emergency saying he will decide after appropriate consideration of all the evidence.

The novel coronavirus is a new strain in the large family of coronaviruses (CoV) which was previously not identified in humans. CoV causes illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

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Read: Shanghai Reports Its First Death From Mysterious Coronavirus

(With inputs from agencies)