Coronavirus pandemic: 67 more die in epicentre Hubei

HANGZHOU, China: Millions more people have been ordered to stay indoors as China battles to curb the spread of Coronavirus that authorities said Wednesday had already killed nearly 500 people after central Hubei province reported 67 more people had died.

With more than 24,000 cases in China, a growing number of cities have been imposing a range of restrictions in recent days far from Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak.

Global concerns have risen as cases continue to spread abroad, with 10 people testing positive for the virus on a ship quarantined off the coast of Japan.

Thousands were marooned on a cruise ship off the Japanese coast Wednesday, after medics evacuated 10 people infected with the deadly coronavirus, with many facing an anxious wait for their own test results.

Passengers on board the Diamond Princess are being confined to their cabins for as long as 14 days and many expressed concern about medication running out.

Tests are being carried out on samples taken from 273 of the 3,711 people on board after a former passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus

Italy announced that passengers from every international flight would be scanned for fevers.

Vietnam, which has detected 10 cases, joined a growing list of countries banning arrivals from China, and it was setting up field hospitals with thousands of beds to handle a potential spike in coronavirus patients in the country.

And Hong Kong, which reported its first coronavirus death this week, said anyone arriving from the mainland will face a mandatory two-week quarantine from Saturday.

In Hangzhou, some 175 kilometers (110 miles) southwest of Shanghai, fences blocked streets near the headquarters of Chinese tech giant Alibaba — one of the world´s most valuable companies — as a fighter jet circled overhead.

The building appeared to be shut down, while deliverymen moved in and out of nearby fenced-in residential areas to drop off groceries. Many people were also seen going out. The firm is based in one of three Hangzhou districts subject to new restrictions that allow only one person per household to go outside every two days to buy necessities.

"At least three other cities in Zhejiang province -- Taizhou, Wenzhou and parts of Ningbo -- have imposed the same measures, affecting 18 million people.

Similar restrictions have been put in place as far away as Heilongjiang province on the Russia border, and in the central city of Zhumadian authorities said one person would be allowed to leave each household only every five days.

Residents of the city of seven million were also offered cash rewards for informing on people from neighbouring Hubei who were in the city.

China’s efforts to control a coronavirus outbreak are at a crucial stage and authorities must prevent the epidemic from spreading, Xinhua news agency quoted President Xi Jinping as saying on Wednesday.

The government must report coronavirus outbreak information accurately in a timely manner, and will crack down on coronavirus related rumor-mongering, Xi said.

Xi also said the government would ensure donated goods would be fully used in virus controls.

China turned down a request from Cambodia´s leader Hun Sen to visit the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak to comfort stranded Cambodian students as it could not "properly arrange" a trip to locked-down Wuhan city, state media said Wednesday.

"Considering the fact that Wuhan is doing all it can to fight the outbreak, and given the tight schedule, a visit... cannot be properly arranged at this moment," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a briefing Wednesday.

Meanwhile, thousands of Chinese tourists risk being stranded in Bali after the Indonesian government suspended flights to and from mainland China over fears of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

With flights suspended Wednesday, at least 5,000 Chinese tourists are currently on the holiday island, according to Gou Haodong, the Chinese Consul General in Denpasar.

Some are hoping to secure visa extensions offered by Bali deputy governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati.

"Many foreign tourists want to extend their vacation in Bali and it is fine," he said.

But concerns surround delayed departures.

"We hope that Bali immigration office could facilitate Chinese tourists who have to overstay due to the policy," Haodong said.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged Wednesday to commit up to $100 million for the global response to the novel coronavirus epidemic that has claimed nearly 500 lives.

The funding will be used to strengthen detection, isolation and treatment efforts, the foundation said, including protecting at-risk populations and developing vaccines and diagnostics.

"Multilateral organizations, national governments, the private sector and philanthropies must work together to slow the pace of the outbreak, help countries protect their most vulnerable citizens and accelerate the development of the tools to bring this epidemic under control," said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman.

The amount includes $10 million previously pledged in late January.

The foundation said it would direct $20 million to organizations like the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Protection, the National Health Commission of China and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

A further $20 million would be allocated to help public health authorities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, regions which have been disproportionately affected by recent epidemics like the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic of 2009.

The foundation also pledged up to $60 million to accelerate the discovery, development and testing of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for the virus.

In a related development, Pakistan has suspended all flights coming and going to China due to Coronavirus, Special Assistant to PM on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza said on Wednesday.

“We are taking this decision in the larger national interest,” said Dr. Zafar Mirza adding that all flights suspension will be effective right from now.

This is the important and major decision of the government since the outbreak of Coronavirus in China.

He said the government took the decision to ensure fight against Coronavirus and decision on suspension of flights was important for time being in this regard.

The European Union may be delaying the UK's response to the coronavirus outbreak after it stalled over a decision to ban all direct flights from China and turn away foreign nationals who have been to the disease-stricken country within the last 14 days.

Scores of passengers fleeing the coronavirus-hit country have been pouring into Britain every day without being properly screened or tested for the virus, prompting calls for a blanket travel ban similar to that imposed by the US, Australia and New Zealand.

But the UK is still thought to be bound to EU immigration laws and obligated to fall in line with any decisions on travel restrictions made by the bloc, despite having technically left on January 31.