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The Chinese government previously mentioned about 650 confirmed cases. 1072 people are suspected of being infected. Health authorities are investigating them, Chinese state media said Friday.
Most people have been infected for the time being in Hubei Province, of which the metropolis of Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, is the capital. Public transport in Wuhan and four places in Hubei have therefore been shut down since Thursday. The World Health Organization of the United Nations (WHO) said on Thursday after a crisis meeting that it was too early to declare the corona virus outbreak an international emergency.
Closing cities further expanded
The Chinese authorities stopped public transport on Friday at even more places in Hubei province to prevent further spread of the corona virus.
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Eight cities in Hubei are now cut off from public transportation. An estimated 26 million people live in the closed area.
The city of Huangshi was added to the list of closed cities in the area on Friday. A commonly used ferry terminal and a bridge have been closed. Around 2.4 million people live in the city.
In addition to public transport, many public locations in the area are therefore closed to the public. Province officials called on the Chinese government Friday to increase financial support for the region. Residents of Wuhan warned on Wednesday that food supplies in the city are falling sharply due to the closure.
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Cases of the virus have also been discovered in other countries such as Japan, the US, Thailand and Vietnam. In several countries, the authorities screen air passengers from China, several airlines are not flying to Wuhan for the time being.
