Epicenter Of Coronavirus- Wuhan Should Be Cut Off From The Rest Of The World, Scientist Believes

In a preventive attempt to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, a scientist at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants people in Wuhan to avoid travelling to other parts of China or the world.

Zeng Guang, who is the chief epidemiologist at CDC, urged the residents of Wuhan to postpone the idea of leaving the city. He added that people willing to go to the city should avoid it.

“This is not a call from the officials but a suggestion from us in the expert team,” he said via The Washington Post. However, Guang said that it will be impossible that the virus would not continue to spread due to the Lunar New Year festival on Saturday, Jan. 25. During Lunar New Year, people move around the country to celebrate the festival.

Around 400 million people are expected to move, making close to three billion trips in the Lunar New Year period in China, the Ministry of Transport estimates.

The authorities upped the number of infrared thermometers at Wuhan train stations and airports to check commuters for fever. Even the hotels in the city were recording temperatures before guests could confirm their check-in. Meanwhile, any departing group tours stand canceled.

Elsewhere, the traffic police started conducting frequent checks on vehicles traveling in and out of Wuhan to make sure no live birds or wild animals are being transported.

In order to deal with the increasing cases of pneumonia, health authorities are expected to add 1200 beds to the existing 800 in the three main hospitals in Wuhan. Moreover, they would take care of the hospital bills for those infected with the novel coronavirus.

The Foreign Ministry of Beijing stated that a complete ban on movement in and out of the city has not been implemented. According to experts in the CDC, this relatively new strain is the seventh type of virus.