Strengthen quarantine

ANOVEL coronavirus, also known as the Wuhan pneumonia, is spreading quickly since it broke out in the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province in late December. There is evidence of it spreading directly from human to human.

Beijing appears to have underestimated the epidemic at first and failed to contain it early. Chinese health authorities have typically been reluctant about disclosing information on patients and epidemics taking place in the country. They should actively share information with neighboring countries.

Saturday is Lunar New Year’s Day, one of the most celebrated holidays in both China and South Korea. About 140,000 Chinese travelers are expected to come to South Korea during the holidays. There are eight direct flights a week from Wuhan to Incheon. Hundreds of flights a week arrive to South Korea by way of Wuhan.

The holidays will be the most critical period in responding to the potential coronavirus spread. South Korea reported its first case Monday, when a 35-year-old

Chinese woman from Wuhan tested positive for the coronavirus one day after arriving at Incheon Airport. She has been isolated at a state-run hospital in Incheon.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the woman was not exposed to the local population, but South Korea can hardly be labelled a safe zone. Many people come and go between South Korea and China.

Authorities in Thailand, Japan, Taiwan and the US have already identified at least seven cases, all involving recent travel from China. A day before entering South Korea, she was diagnosed with a cold in a hospital in Wuhan. It would be reasonable to suspect she may be one of many potential patients who did not know that they were infected.

China’s National Health Commission said it was monitoring 1,738 people who had been in close contact with confirmed cases. She reportedly showed no symptoms of the virus except for fever at the airport, before taking laboratory tests. This means that it is difficult to discern infected patients if they are in a latent period or at an early stage of the outbreak.

A Chinese scientist leading a government-appointed expert panel on the outbreak