Published 18:54 IST, February 9th 2020
Coronavirus: Chinese cities turn into ghost towns as millions of people are quarantined
Chinese residents are trapped in their own homes as the country grapples with the expanding outbreak and major business centres in cities have been shut down.
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Several cities in China including Beijing and the populous financial hub Shanghai have reportedly turned into a ghost town as approximately 21.5 million citizens remain quarantined to avoid transmission of the critical 2019-nCov virus in Wuhan. With large cities under lockdown, the number could be as high as 50 million people.
Travel restrictions and quarantine measures have left the roads deserted, streets, parks, and shopping centres essentially vacant across several major cities in mainland China suggest reports.
Streets are empty in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people and the epicenter of the corona virus outbreak, as Chinese officials enforce an unprecedented lockdown to try to contain the virus’s spread. All flights, trains and buses leaving the city have been cancelled. pic.twitter.com/A6BIdS7Md7
— Robert (@Robert82388953) February 4, 2020
After the World Health Organization declared a global public health emergency, citizens of Wuhan, Shanghai, Beijing and other large metropolises, have restricted themselves indoors to avoid contracting the disease, according to the reports.
Residents told reporters that they are trapped in their own homes as the country grapples with the expanding outbreak, and major business centres in cities that are a hive of activity compared with the neighbourhood that surrounds it have been shut down, including the community centres and shops.
The empty streets of Wuhan, via weibo. pic.twitter.com/mSAUKqhv6V
— DCfan (@DCfan_30) February 2, 2020
According to reports, shops and businesses in China are shuttered with written signs explaining temporary closure “due to the epidemic”. Some stores have reportedly started selling off their businesses due to a standstill from the quarantine measures and clouded uncertainty about resuming work.
China issues strict warnings restricting against public gathering
Wei, 36, a resident from the building in a lockdown told the reporters that she goes out once every two or so days only to stockpile food. The longest she has stayed out since the outbreak began was two hours. She said that she was anxious about stepping out and worried that she might contract the infection.
Major cities in China have reportedly issued warnings restricting the number of persons that can be seen in the public space, the authorities in China have strictly ordered movement per person in a household to gather food items, confirmed the reports.
According to the reports, the Citizens in China have been anxiously trapped in their homes devoid of their routines, the death of a doctor in Wuhan that alerted the colleagues about the Wuhan virus’ contagion and was threatened by the government has further worsened the law and order in the country, suggest reports.
18:54 IST, February 9th 2020