After holiday, Chinese start work

Beijing, Feb. 10: Millions of people in China returned to work on Monday after an extended holiday aimed at slowing the spread of a coronavirus, with the extra travel deepening contagion concerns as the toll climbed above 900.

And although the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said there are signs the epidemic is stabilising, the agency’s chief warned on Monday there could be more infections abroad in people who have never travelled to China.

In an attempt to contain the virus, cities in Hubei have been locked down and transport routes across the country cut to stop the movement of hundreds of millions of people who usually visit family during the annual Lunar New Year holiday.

The unprecedented measures included an extension of the holiday, with citizens told to stay inside as much as possible.

Officially the holiday was extended by only three days, but many cities and provinces pushed the deadline until February 10. The measures have left businesses, shops, factories and tourist sites closed and turned many cities into ghost towns, sparking concerns about the impact of the outbreak on the economy.

Wuhan city has carried out tests on 10.59 million people, almost 99 per cent of its population.