2020-02-21

Beijing Outbreak Threatens China's Back to Work Effort

Caixin: Cluster Cases at Beijing Hospitals Sparked Fear of Virus Spread
New confirmed cases have led to large-scale quarantines in at least two hospitals in downtown Beijing, with many potential contacts to be traced, according to a city government news briefing Thursday.

Beijing reported a total of 395 confirmed Covid-19 cases by the end of Wednesday. Nationwide, the disease has sickened nearly 75,000 people and killed 2,122. More than 80% of the patients are from central China’s Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province.

The daily count of total new infection cases has declined for several days in China, fueling hopes that the epidemic is nearing its peak. But clusters of infections recently reported at hospitals in Beijing sparked concerns over the vulnerability of medical institutions in the city.
My hunch is the country's economy won't restart until late March or even into April if these type of outbreaks occur.

Meanwhile, South Korea is now under threat of shutting down.

FT: South Korea unveils emergency measures as coronavirus spreads
Kwon Young-jin, the mayor of Daegu, asked its 2.4m residents to avoid travel, stay home and wear masks even indoors. Residents were not forced to comply with the request and able to travel freely around the city if they chose to do so.

The introduction of emergency measures came as South Korea’s Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun pledged to supply more hospital beds, medical personnel and equipment to the stricken city.

“I am so worried that I hardly go outside,” said Kang Hye-sook, a 71-year-old resident of Daegu. “Few people are seen on the streets. My social gatherings including choir and orchestra practices have all been suspended. I hope this will be over soon but I am afraid the virus is likely to spread further.” 

In Seoul, the city government said it would ban public rallies in the central business district and close down Shincheonji’s churches. Authorities also announced they would temporarily shut more than 3,000 public welfare facilities across the capital. 

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