China says virus situation 'grave' as Lunar New Year curtailed

Wuhan (China) Jan 26 (AFP) President Xi Jinping warned Saturday that China faced a "grave situation" as authorities raced to contain a virus that has killed 41 people and caused a drastic scale-back of Lunar New Year celebrations.

world's most populous country, which is scrambling to contain disease that has infected nearly 1,300 people and overwhelmed health facilities, is building a second field hospital and closing more travel routes.

After more countries reported cases, Xi said at a Communist Party leership meeting on disease that China was "faced with grave situation of an accelerating spre of new coronavirus" but that country will "definitely be able to win battle," according to state media.

Meanwhile China's most important celebration has been all but cancelled for at least 56 million people as authorities expanded travel bans across central Hubei province to try and contain spre of virus.

In Wuhan, epicentre of emergency, 450 military medics were deployed to help treat patients in Hubei's capital city, where a seafood and live animal market has been identified as centre of outbreak.

On Saturday, when y should have been celebrating New Year, people waiting at one hospital in city were angry and frustrated.

"It takes at least five hours to see a doctor," one woman, who didn't want to be named, told AFP.

One man in his 30s said some people h to queue for two days. Many people h brought ir own chairs for wait.

Wuhan authorities will race to build second makeshift hospital within a fortnight, state media reported, ding 1,300 new beds.

y alrey started work Friday on first new field hospital, which could be rey in just over a week.

two hospitals would be similar in size to temporary facility that was built to tackle SARS in Beijing in 2003, when 650 people died from disease in mainland and Hong Kong.

city also plans to transform 24 general hospitals for temporary use to cope with increasing number of patients, state media reported.

Army medics, who arrived on military aircraft late Friday, include doctors with experience combating SARS or Ebola who will be dispatched to hospitals that are reportedly short on beds due to a crush of infected patients and worried locals.

virus has caused global concern because of its similarity to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

new virus has w infected people nationwide and in nearly a dozen or countries.

On eastern outskirts of Wuhan, police manning a roblock turned away a handful of vehicles trying to exit city.

"body can leave," an officer told AFP.

But police allowed some medical workers who h gone home for holidays to re-enter city to help at crowded hospitals.

Trapped residents were stocking up on masks, gloves and disinfectant while car traffic will be severely restricted from Sunday.

city has a short of medical supplies including goggles and masks, according to official Xinhua news ncy, which ded that government has shipped 14,000 protective suits and 110,000 pairs of gloves to Wuhan.

Foreign citizens were set to be evacuated from Wuhan within next few days.

US coffee chain Starbucks said it would shut all its stores in Hubei during Lunar New Year festival for "health safety".

government says most cases have been in Hubei and most of deaths involved people who alrey suffered pre-existing health conditions.

Underscoring fears that virus could spre furr, overseas Chinese tour groups will be suspended from Monday while domestic trips have alrey been halted.

Beijing will suspend long-distance bus service entering and leaving capital of 20 million people from Sunday due to "requirements of epidemic prevention and control," official People's Daily newspaper reported.

National Health Commission also ordered nationwide measures to detect and isolate people carrying virus on planes, trains and buses across country.

Xinhua said Saturday that temperature screening checkpoints have been set up in 387 railway stations across country.

Meanwhile, tourists from Hubei in Haikou, capital of island province of Hainan, were told by city government y h to spend 14 days in a hotel for centralised medical observation, and were forbidden to leave.

Beijing's Forbidden City, Shanghai Disneyland and a section of Great Wall are among many attractions that have closed as a precaution. China's box-office film earnings for Lunar New Year's Eve on Friday were just one-tenth of last year's as people shunned crowds.

Xi chaired a Communist Party leership meeting which urged regional governments to make " safety of masses' lives and ir physical health a top priority", state media said.

Xinhua said Standing Committee agreed to set up a working group that would visit Hubei.

In Hong Kong, where five people have tested positive for virus so far, city leer Carrie Lam declared situation an "emergency" and schools, currently on holiday, will remain closed until February 17.

World Health Organization on Thursday stopped short of declaring a global emergency, which would have prompted greater international cooperation, including possible tre and travel restrictions.

AFP

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