till the numbers grow officially 41
dead and more than 1300 infected with
the new virus the majority and wuhan
hubei province where this all began
today China's President Xi Jinping
warned it was spreading and indeed
scientists at Imperial College London
suggest as many as 4,000 people were
infected by January the 18th and that
each person was infecting as many as 3
others showing how hard this will be to
contain with pressure growing on the
Chinese government much of the country
has now declared a level one public
health alert
all transport in and out of Wuhan has
been stopped from tomorrow all vehicle
use including private cars will be
banned from downtown in the city of
eleven million six thousand taxis will
be deployed to help people get around it
is in quarantine Wuhan and Hebei
province remains the epicenter with the
largest number of cases but there are
now reports from across China and Addis
spread to Hong Kong and elsewhere in
Asia and further still to the United
States Australia and France where three
patients have now tested positive in
Hong Kong where they have had five cases
today the government announced it was
raising its emergency response to the
highest level with schools to remain
closed for two more weeks after the
Lunar New Year celebrations homes I
kicked in gatoring bomb we need to step
up our immigration control we have to
control the spread of the disease first
of all we're going to stop flights and
high speed trains from Wuhan we will
wait until we're fully in control of the
outbreak before we resume flights as
well as the high-speed train service
31 people in the UK have been tested but
all are negative public health teams
have been placed at Heathrow Airport in
London for any passengers feeling unwell
and Channel 4 News understands that
medical teams will also be placed at
other major airports around the country
over the next few days yet China remains
the focus of this outbreak in Wuhan
their medical facilities are being
overwhelmed they're now building two new
hospitals to cope and the Chinese
military has sent in 450 medical staff
we will make every effort to mobilize
all sectors of the community both at
home and abroad to make special
donations of urgently demanded medical
related materials and relevant drugs
that meet the requirements
unlike influenza there is no vaccine for
this new virus which has never been seen
in humans before experts are concerned
about how it might mutate the symptoms
include a dry cough and a fever but
people can remain asymptomatic unaware
that they can spread the disease
tonight China announced it was
suspending tour groups from leaving the
country and the French and Americans are
planning to evacuate their citizens from
Wuhan with other embassies and
discussions with the local authorities
the increase in the official numbers
itself is not currently a sign that the
crisis is worsening it could reflect
better monitoring and detection but
nobody is taking any chances Victoria
MacDonald reporting will earlier I spoke
to Ben Kavanaugh who's from Island and
working as a teacher in Wuhan I started
by asking him what the situation was
like in the city busy streets but if you
were to look outside now you would have
no idea it's Chinese New Year it's like
a ghost town right there and I mean how
does that feel it's hard to describe
because there's nothing nothing's ever
prepared me for anything like this it's
it's as if I'm in a dystopian movie it's
hard like there's 10 million people in
this city and there is no one on the
streets and from midnight tonight
they're banning all transport so no
personal vehicles unless absolutely
essential so there will be even there
will be nothing out there
tomorrow now you seem quite calm given
what you're describing is there any
sense of panic panic seems to be
increasing I I try to not worry until
it's time to worry there's no point
worrying now I'm not sick now I'll worry
if I get sick but yesterday in an
American group chat the people were
freaking out a little bit today just a
few minutes ago people in the British
group chat they were freaking out
because the UK government don't appear
to be doing anything while the French
and the American governments look like
they're taking action for their citizens
yes now I know your stories appeared in
the Irish press have you heard at all
from Irish diplomatic services are they
giving you any advice are they getting
in touch to see how you are because it's
also Chinese New Year so you know
consulates and embassies they're not
open today but for Ireland I haven't
heard I don't think it makes sense to
leave we're here and if we left we would
feel better but then we're only risking
spreading the disease you're there on
your own as I understand it what if any
precautions can you take or are you
being told to take to prevent catching
this virus the best thing to do is stay
at home but unfortunately that's you
know that's just not possible the whole
time so when you do go outside I
actually wear swimming goggles would you
believe it because that's how the
doctors and nurses have been infected
because they're being infected through
their eyes they took precautions for
their mouths with masks but the doctors
and nurses were infected in the
hospitals through their eyes so now when
I go out I wear two masks and a pair of
swimming goggles it looks silly but it's
the safest way to do it and how often
are you venturing out presumably you
need supplies I will be going out first
thing in the morning for what I can only
describe as a massive shock because I
don't want to have to go out
again for a very long time I plan on
bringing my suitcase to the shop so that
I can get enough stuff and that's it
after that I don't plan on leaving for
weeks so you are literally anticipating
having to stay in your flat alone with
this stockpile of food ad infinitum at
the moment yeah that's it I got a
message from my bye work and work and
all transport into Han is indefinitely
shutdown we don't know when we have no
idea when the end is coming cuz I assume
even if you wanted to leave to try to
make your way back home or somewhere
else you couldn't at the moment no
that's impossible that's why people are
so upset and the Americans and the
British are very upset moment because
there is no way out we're in a
quarantine city and that's just the way
it has to be otherwise we risk spreading
this disease further afield like it's
already global well we wish you to stay
safe and sane thank you very much for
talking to us today thanks for having me
thank you
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