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The capital city of Beijing and the financial hub of Shanghai – China's two largest cities – have just announced new regulations to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Accordingly, Beijing and Shanghai – with populations of over 20 million and 24 million respectively – have entered a state of partial lockdown.
Beijing streets are deserted after lockdown measures were implemented.
The measures announced by the authorities of China's two largest cities on February 10 include: stricter controls on the movement of people and vehicles, mandatory mask-wearing, and the suspension of large gatherings and other non-essential community activities.
Specifically, in Beijing, for example, at a press conference on February 10th, the authorities issued a "commencement on strengthening epidemic prevention and control work in villages and hamlets," with many strict management measures for these residential areas.
Ten measures were implemented, divided into two parts. The first part consisted of seven measures, including management by closing off sub-districts (villages), requiring vehicles and people entering these sub-districts to undergo inspection and registration, managing public spaces and rental rooms, etc.
People in Shanghai are barely leaving their homes.
Part two comprises three measures related to people's livelihoods, including: managing the opening hours of supermarkets, pharmacies, vegetable markets, etc.; strengthening public awareness of prevention and control, strictly adhering to regulations on wearing masks in public places, reducing outdoor activities, and avoiding large gatherings; and cadres and Party members must set an example, actively participate in disease prevention, and encourage relatives and neighbors to comply with relevant regulations.
These measures were implemented to control the potential for disease transmission as people in these cities returned to work after the Lunar New Year holiday. Currently, epidemic prevention and control efforts in Beijing have entered a crucial phase, therefore, these measures were implemented to suit the new situation and requirements. Following the announcement of these measures, most people seemed to show support amidst fears about the novel coronavirus.
Last week, major cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Hangzhou, and Chengdu announced similar measures. Meanwhile, similar to Hubei, the authorities in Liaoning and Jiangxi provinces announced epidemic prevention and control measures across the provinces.
A partial lockdown has been implemented in more than 80 cities across nearly 20 provinces and autonomous regions of China since the central government decided to lock down Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, and neighboring cities in Hubei province on January 23.
Updated information
As of 9:00 AM on February 12th, the total number of nCoV infections worldwide was 45,168, the total number of deaths was 1,115, and the number of recovered patients was 4,657.
On February 11th, there were 97 additional deaths from the novel coronavirus in mainland China, down from the 108 deaths reported on February 10th. Additionally, the number of new infections on February 11th in mainland China was 2,015, also down from the 2,478 cases reported on February 10th.
The official name of the new coronavirus, as approved by the WHO, is Covid-19.
