Transcript
The Wuhan coronavirus, a deadly infectious respiratory illness, has killed at least 17 people in China and infected more than 600 people in the country.
Wuhan, the city of 11 million people where the outbreak began, is now under partial lockdown.
On Thursday, Wuhan “temporarily” closed its airport and railway stations for departing passengers.
And all public transport services are suspended until further notice.
On Thursday morning, train stations in Wuhan were packed with people trying to get out of the city before the blockade went into effect.
It is now mandatory to a facemask in all places in the city, including hotels, restaurants, cafés and shopping malls.
Two other cities Ezhou and Huanggang are also under restrictions.
Authorities in the Chinese capital Beijing have canceled all large-scale new year celebrations to contain the spread of the virus.
Countries including the U.S., the UK and Australia began taking health screenings at airports as a safety precaution.
Chinese authorities and scientists now believe the virus originated in two species of venomous snakes sometimes sold in Chinese markets.