Coronavirus: China puts 58million people in lockdown indefinitely as towns and villages ‘sealed shut’ to stop epidemic
UP to 58 million people have been forced into indefinite lockdown in China’s Hubei province - the region at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.
New lockdown measures- introduced on Sunday - dictate that only one family member can leave the house once every three days to buy supermarket essentials.
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“All leisure and entertainment venues shall be shut down and all group activities shall be suspended. Weddings should be postponed, and funeral processes minimised … Visiting other households is strictly prohibited, as is playing mahjong and card games.”
The tough new measures come just four days after former Shanghai mayor Ying Yong took office in Hubei.
ORIGINS OF THE SPREAD
The coronavirus was first detected in the city of Wuhan in the central Chinese province Hubei in December.
Hubai accounts for over 80 per cent of confirmed coronavirus cases and 96 per cent of the deaths in China.
Authorities have been forced to impose strict and isolating lockdown measures.
Wuhan was the first Chinese city to face a complete lockdown, with other cities following suit.
The virus has since infected about 71,000 people worldwide.
HOUSE-BOUND
Much of China has been instructed to remain indoors, with many coming up with novel ways to entertain themselves.
One man, Pan, said he jogged 66 kilometres in a loop at his home and another time for 30km on the spot in his bathroom, while live-streaming the action to his followers.
He recalled: “I felt a little dizzy at first, but you get used to it after you circle many times.
“Running is like an addiction. If you don’t run for a long time, you get itchy feet.”
Others have retreated online for their entertainment through group chats, online dating and online tutorials.
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an airborne virus, spread in a similar way to colds and the flu.
The virus attacks the respiratory system, causing lung lesions.
Symptoms include a runny nose, headache, cough and fever, shortness of breath, chills and body aches.
It is incredibly contagious and is spread through contact with anything the virus is on as well as infected breath, coughs or sneezes.
Symptoms include a runny nose, headache, cough and fever, shortness of breath, chills and body aches.
In most cases, you won't know whether you have a coronavirus or a different cold-causing virus, such as rhinovirus.
But if a coronavirus infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract (your windpipe and your lungs), it can cause pneumonia, especially in older people, people with heart disease or people with weakened immune systems.
There is no vaccine for coronavirus.
In 2003 an outbreak of a similar virus, SARS, infected more than 8,000 people in 37 countries before it was brought under control, killing 800 of those worldwide.
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