Wuhan quarantines 11 million people as coronavirus spreads
Beijing — The entire city of Wuhan of 11 million people is going under quarantine to contain the deadly coronavirus. The virus has already infected more than 500 people and at least 17 have died.
Just one day before China's massive Lunar New Year holiday, as hundreds of millions across the country to celebrate with families, every mode of transportation out of Wuhan is coming to a halt, including flights, railways, local bus and subway services.
A CBS News team left Wuhan on Wednesday, just hours before the announcement. In the airport, nearly every single person wore a mask, reminiscent of the SARS crisis of 2003. Once the crew landed in Beijing, airline workers scanned the crew for fevers. It's a scene playing out at airports in and out of the region, even as far as Moscow and Lagos, Nigeria.
In Wuhan, behind the scenes footage shows extreme measures being taken to contain the virus. Medical staff wear full protective suits and nurses communicate through glass with handheld radios.
WATCH: (1/2) Wuhan in an *unprecedented* lockdown to slow the spread of the deadly #coronavirus. @CBSNews flew out just in time! Filmed this at the airport Wednesday night. Everyone had a mask on. Felt I was living through SARS 2003 all over again. @CBSThisMorning @CBSEveningNews pic.twitter.com/mVbtQqcnnZ
— Ramy Inocencio 英若明 (@RamyInocencio) January 22, 2020
But reports of confirmed cases continue to rise. Now coronavirus has reached six countries, including the U.S., where a man in his 30s remains in isolation at a hospital in Washington state.
As more people get sick, the World Health Organization added an extra day of emergency talks on whether to call this a global emergency. But China has already taken decisive and startling action.