January 23, 2020

Beijing 'Cancels New Year Celebrations' In Bid To Contain Coronavirus

Authorities in Beijing have reportedly cancelled all large-scale Chinese New Year celebrations in a bid to contain the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
Beijing Cancels New Year Celebrations In Bid To Contain Coronavirus

Action in the Chinese capital comes as health secretary Matt Hancock warned of an “increased likelihood” of the condition, which has claimed 17 lives so far, reaching the UK.

“In order to control the epidemic, protect people’s lives and health, reduce the mass gathering and ensure people to have a harmonious and peaceful spring festival, it is decided to cancel all the large-scale events, including temple fairs, in Beijing as of today,” a governmental Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau told broadcaster CNN in a statement.
“Citizens shall strengthen the preventative measures and support the decision. We will notify the policy changes with the epidemic development [...] and wish all citizens a happy spring festival.”
The outbreak has been largely centred around the Chinese city of Wuhan, nearly 700 miles from Beijing.Authorities had confirmed 571 cases and 17 deaths by the end of Wednesday, China’s National Health Commission said. Earlier, it said another 393 suspected cases had been reported.
Of eight known cases worldwide, Thailand has confirmed four, while Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States have reported one each.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it will decide on Thursday whether to declare the outbreak a global health emergency, which would step up the international response.
Meanwhile, Hancock assured MPs the UK was on standby should the virus reach its shores.
“The UK is one of the first countries to have developed a world-leading test for the new coronavirus,” he told the Commons.
“The NHS is ready to respond appropriately to any cases that emerge.
“Clinicians both in primary and secondary care have already received advice covering initial detection and investigation of possible cases, infection prevention and control and clinical diagnostics.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.

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World rings in 2023

Country by country, the world welcomed 2023 early Sunday morning — and bid goodbye to a year marked by war, economic uncertainties, and COVID variants. Many cities were celebrating New Year's in full force for the first time since the pandemic, with more than 100,000 gathering on the Embankment of the Thames in London for a firework show that paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, while an estimated million people braved the rain for the New Year's Eve party in New York's Times Square. Roni Bintang/Getty Images Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Alexi Rosenfeld/ Getty Images Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images "I just wish everyone a lot of prosperity, peace, and love," Tina Wright, a reveler visiting New York City from the Phoenix area, told the Los Angeles Times.