China Coronavirus Update: Mongolia Shuts Down Borders, US Raises Travel Advisory To Level 3

Mongolia and Malaysia on Monday became the second and third countries to close their borders to China because of the coronavirus outbreak. Malaysia will prohibit visitors from Wuhan and the Hubei Province while it appears Mongolia is closing its entire border. The border is 2,900 miles from Kazakhstan to the west and the Mongolian/Russian border to the northeast of mostly mountainous and rugged terrain.

The United States, also on Monday, raised the travel advisory level from 2 to 3. The Hubei Province remains at a level 4 or “Do Not Travel” and evacuation of all non-emergency personnel and their families from the area was ordered. The U.S. has at least five confirmed cases of coronavirus and the number is expected to rise.

Only one case has been reported in Malaysia with Mongolia reporting zero cases as of Monday. But according to medical officials, its ability to spread is growing. Unlike the SARS virus of 2002-03, the virus is contagious during the estimated 10-day incubation period when the infected person shows and feels no symptoms. If that person is socially active, and in one of China’s dense population centers, the conditions are the “perfect storm” for the virus to spread.

The U.S. is cautioning travelers to reconsider visiting China. For Americans in Wuhan, the State Department has arranged a flight for non-essential personnel and, as space allows, for U.S. citizens estimated at about 1,000. A State Department official said Monday that the flight would depart Wednesday morning and have medical personnel on board to treat anyone with the virus to make sure it is contained.

Chinese authorities are scrambling to achieve some form of containment. The government suspended all travel to the city of about 11 million people and is even preventing the movement of private cars in Wuhan’s downtown areas. Another 17 cities are on lockdown impacting another 50 million people or about 4% of China’s nearly 1.4 billion population.

In Hong Kong, two popular tourist destinations, Disneyland and Ocean Park, are closed along with other popular sites. The government has also extended the Lunar New Year Holiday until Feb. 2 with Shanghai extending it to Feb.9. The hope is that people will stay home instead of gathering in large groups.

With China bordering on chaos and neighboring countries blocking travel, the comments of China’s No. 2 leader, Premier Li Keqiang, who visited Wuhan to “guide epidemic prevention work,” seemed quite detached. Dressed in a blue smock and green face mask while meeting with hospital employees, he simply said, “To get the epidemic under control in Wuhan and the [return of] good health of people in Wuhan will be good news for the whole country.”