China Shuts All Public Transport In And Out Of Wuhan City To Contain Deadly Coronavirus As Death Toll Rises To 17

The Chinese government has shut all the public transport in and out of the Wuhan city, including trains, buses and ferries, in a bid to try to contain the spread of a coronavirus that has killed 17 people and infected hundreds more.

Local residents rushed to railway stations and the airport after the announcement of the lockdown on Wednesday night, reports South China Morning Post.

The government has told local residents not to leave the city without “special reasons”.

The respiratory illness, due to the Virus, has spread to other parts of China, with some cases in other countries including the US.

Known for now as 2019-nCoV, the virus is understood to be a new strain of coronavirus not previously identified in humans. The Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus that killed nearly 800 people globally in the early 2000s was also a coronavirus, as is the common cold, BBC has reported.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has decided to not declare a global emergency over the new virus.