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| - China said it was halting flights and trains from Thursday out of Wuhan, the city of 11 million people at the centre of a deadly SARS-like virus outbreak, as the UN extended emergency talks on the disease. Wuhan's special command centre against the virus also said that residents should not leave without a special reason and that public transport inside the city would also be suspended. The measures come into effect from 0200 GMT, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The move is meant to "resolutely contain the momentum of the epidemic spreading," the centre was quoted as saying. Hundreds of people have been infected with the virus in China and 17 have died since the first case was detected in Wuhan on December 31 and authorities have already urged visitors to steer clear of the city. The coronavirus has caused alarm because of its similarity to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meanwhile said he was postponing a decision on whether or not to declare a global health emergency -- a rare instrument used only for the worst outbreaks -- saying he needed "more information". "I have decided to ask the emergency committee to meet again tomorrow to continue their discussion," he said, referring to a group of international experts who met for several hours at the WHO in Geneva on Wednesday. Asked about the transport shutdown, he added: "By having a strong action not only will they control the outbreak in their country but they will also minimise the chances of this outbreak spreading internationally." The emergency committee will meet again from 1100 GMT after its chair Didier Houssin said the experts were split over declaring a public health emergency. With hundreds of millions of people travelling across China this week for the Lunar New Year holiday, the National Health Commission also announced measures to contain the disease -- including sterilisation and ventilation at airports and bus stations, as well as inside planes and trains. The illness is mainly transmitted via the respiratory tract and more than 500 cases have now been reported, with the majority in Wuhan, capital of central Hubei province. The virus has also been detected in Japan, Macau, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. The Chinese government has classified the outbreak in the same category as the SARS epidemic, meaning compulsory isolation for those diagnosed with the illness and the potential to implement quarantine measures. But they still have not been able to confirm the exact source of the virus. Michael Ryan, head of the WHO's health emergencies programme, said: "There are many unknowns to address in this event including clinical severity and the true extent and nature of disease transmission". Countries have intensified efforts to stop the spread of the pathogen -- known by its technical name 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Passengers are facing screening measures at five US airports and a host of transport hubs across Asia. European airports from London to Moscow have also stepped up checks and Nigeria, which has many citizens working in China, said it would start checks at entry points. The WHO has confirmed that the virus can be passed between people, at least those in close contact. However, animals are suspected to be the primary source of the outbreak. A Wuhan market is believed to be the epicentre of the outbreak. A price list circulating online in China for a business there lists a menagerie of animals or animal-based products including live foxes, crocodiles, wolf puppies and rats. It also offered civets, the animal linked to SARS. "We already know that the disease originated from a market which conducted illegal transaction of wild animals," said Gao Fu, director of the Chinese centre for disease control and prevention. He said it was clear "this virus is adapting and mutating". WHO chief Tedros said there was "stability" for the moment. "We don't see any significant variation but at the same time we also believe that we have to be cautious," he said. Tedros also praised China's openness about the outbreak as "commendable". But a senior State Department official said Washington was "still concerned as far as transparency in the Chinese government" goes. Health authorities are urging people to wash their hands regularly, avoid crowded places, get plenty of fresh air and wear a mask if they have a cough. Anyone with a cough or fever was urged to go to hospital. In Wuhan, city authorities made it mandatory to wear a mask in public places on Wednesday, according to state-run People's Daily. In response to skyrocketing demand for masks -- which were starting to sell out at pharmacies and on some popular websites -- China's industry and information technology ministry said it would "spare no effort in increasing supply", state media reported. In Wuhan, the local government has cancelled major public activities, including Women's Olympics football qualifiers scheduled for February 3-9 which have been moved to the eastern city of Nanjing. bys-dt/nl/lc
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