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Coronavirus Updates: Quarantine Ordered As Cases Are Linked to Shopping Center Coronavirus Updates: Quarantine Ordered As Cases Are Linked to Shopping Center
(30 minutes later)
Nearly a third of the confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Tianjin, a city of more than 15 million people about 70 miles southeast of Beijing, have been linked to one department store, adding to fears about rapid transmission among tightly clustered communities. Nearly a third of the confirmed coronavirus cases in Tianjin, a city of more than 15 million about 70 miles southeast of Beijing, have been linked to one department store, adding to fears about rapid transmission in tightly clustered communities.
Of the 102 cases confirmed in the city, at least 33 of the patients worked or shopped at a department store in the city’s Baodi district, or had close contact with employees or customers, according to the city’s health authorities. Officials estimated that 11,700 customers had visited the shopping complex, which they did not identify, during a period in late January. The authorities said that those customers would be quarantined, and that the store itself was sealed and disinfected. Of 102 confirmed cases in the city, at least 33 patients worked or shopped at a department store in the Baodi district, or had close contact with employees or customers, according to the Tianjin health authorities. Many of them had no history of travel to Wuhan, the city where the outbreak emerged. Officials estimated that 11,700 customers had visited the shopping complex during a period in late January. The authorities said that those customers would be quarantined, and that the store itself, which they did not identify, had been sealed and disinfected.
In addition, emergency measures were imposed over sections of the district — home to nearly one million people — with all but two entrances and exits sealed off in certain residential areas and security personnel on round-the-clock patrols. Residents in some areas were allowed to leave their homes to buy supplies only once every two days. It was not immediately clear how the authorities had tracked the shoppers, but health officials in the city have put out alerts on social media and on state news outlets urging residents to contact the government if they visited the store recently. News reports also said residents had been asked at various checkpoints in the city if they had been there.
Several of the department store patients, including the latest announced on Tuesday, a 31-year-old woman, had no history of travel to Wuhan, the city where the outbreak emerged. In addition, emergency measures were imposed over sections of Baodi — home to nearly one million people — with all but two entrances and exits for certain residential areas sealed off and security personnel on round-the-clock patrols. Some residents were allowed to leave their homes only once every two days.
Mao Jinsong, the district head of Baodi, compared the department store to a seafood market in Wuhan where the outbreak is widely considered to have started. Hong Kong officials have put into quarantine dozens of residents of one apartment building after two people who live on different floors of the building were found to be infected with the coronavirus, the authorities said on Tuesday.
“Do not let Baodi’s department store become Wuhan’s seafood market,” he said at a news conference. The two cases appeared to suggest that the virus had spread through the building, perhaps through a pipe, raising new fears about how the virus spreads. In all, quarantines were ordered for residents of more than 30 units of the Hong Mei House, which is part of the Cheung Hong Estate, a public housing block in the New Territories area the city.
Hong Kong officials evacuated and quarantined dozens of residents of an apartment building after two people living on different floors were found to be infected with the coronavirus, the authorities said on Tuesday. Officials from the city’s Center for Health Protection said the quarantine decision was made after an unsealed pipe was found in the apartment of a newly confirmed patient, a 62-year-old woman. She lives 10 floors below a resident who was earlier found to be infected.
The two cases appeared to suggest that the virus had spread through the building, perhaps through a pipe, raising new fears about the virus’s ability to spread. Five more people living in different units displayed symptoms of the coronavirus, but all tested negative, officials said.
Officials from the city’s Center for Health Protection said the decision to partially evacuate the building was made after the discovery of a unsealed bathroom pipe in the apartment of a newly confirmed patient, a 62-year-old woman. She lives 10 floors below a resident who was earlier found to be infected. At a government-organized news briefing on Tuesday, Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, said that the exact route of transmission not been confirmed, but that an exhaust pipe in one infected household appeared not to be airtight.
In addition to the infected residents, four other people living in three different units displayed symptoms of the coronavirus, according to Sophia Chan, Hong Kong’s health secretary. There are now 49 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Hong Kong, health officials said, including three extended family members of the 62-year-old woman living in the building.
In all, quarantines were ordered for the residents of 23 units of the Hong Mei House, a building on the Cheung Hong Estate, a public housing block in the New Territories section of the city.
The local outbreak prompted comparisons to an incident in 2003 when 329 residents of a housing estate in Hong Kong became infected with SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. The virus was later found to have spread through defective piping. Forty-two of the infected residents died.
“Our initial understanding is that the relevant household may have done some self-remodeling work,” Frank Chan, Hong Kong’s secretary for transport and housing, said of the outbreak on Tuesday.
Mr. Chan denied that the recent cases were comparable to the 2003 outbreak because of the location of the pipes. In the earlier case, the pipes were outside the building and the SARS virus was spread through the air.
Updated Feb. 10, 2020
At a government-organized news briefing on Tuesday, Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, said the situation this time appeared to be different. But he said the authorities were not ruling out the possibility of airborne transmission of the virus.
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, said determining what happened at the housing complex was of “great importance” and ordered an investigation.
When Terry Law, 20, learned from late night news reports that the new coronavirus was believed to be spreading from one resident to another in the complex, he raced to the building.
Mr. Law’s 80-year-old grandfather has lived in the building for two decades. And while he is not in the same area where the two cases were found, his family did not want to take chances.
“Even though he’s in a different wing, they share the same lift and the same lobby,” said Mr. Law. “There’s lots of chances for people to meet.”
On Tuesday afternoon police had blocked off the building, only allowing in residents who showed identification. A street cleaning vehicle sprayed down the road outside, even as a light rain fell.
As a group of journalists watched outside the police line, a small bus drove out with a handful a masked residents. The driver was wearing protective coveralls, a mask and goggles.
Most of the residents of Hong Mei House are 60 or older, said Mr. Law. His grandfather is in good health, but he is worried.
“My grandfather is that old, so I want to take him home,” he said.
A senior Chinese official warned on Tuesday that three populous provinces could be vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus as migrant workers return to their jobs after the Lunar New Year break.A senior Chinese official warned on Tuesday that three populous provinces could be vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus as migrant workers return to their jobs after the Lunar New Year break.
The official, He Qinghua, said that the provinces of Zhejiang, Guangdong and Henan could see a rise in new cases, even as the number of confirmed cases outside Hubei Province, the heart of the outbreak, has been declining. Updated Feb. 10, 2020
The remarks highlight the looming possibility that more people could become infected as they resume their normal routines. Government officials had extended China’s official Lunar New Year holiday by three days to Feb. 3 to keep people home. Major business hubs, like the cities of Beijing and Shanghai and the provinces of Guangdong and Shandong, then further extended holidays until Monday. The official, He Qinghua, said that the provinces of Zhejiang, Guangdong and Henan could see a rise in new cases, even as the rate of infections declined outside Hubei Province, the heart of the outbreak.
The remarks highlight the looming possibility that more people could become infected as they resume their normal routines. Government officials extended China’s official Lunar New Year holiday by three days to keep people home. Major business hubs, like the cities of Beijing and Shanghai and the provinces of Guangdong and Shandong, then further extended holidays until Monday.
Mr. He, who spoke at a news briefing in Beijing, was responding to comments made by Gauden Galea, the China representative for the World Health Organization. Mr. Galea told Bloomberg TV on Monday that the organization had found the numbers of cases slowly rising in 10 provinces. He said that it was too soon to say the epidemic had peaked.Mr. He, who spoke at a news briefing in Beijing, was responding to comments made by Gauden Galea, the China representative for the World Health Organization. Mr. Galea told Bloomberg TV on Monday that the organization had found the numbers of cases slowly rising in 10 provinces. He said that it was too soon to say the epidemic had peaked.
The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic is continuing to climb, Chinese officials said Tuesday. By the end of Monday, the government said, 1,016 people had officially died from the coronavirus — an increase of 108 from the previous day. Hubei Province accounted for the great majority of the deaths. The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic is continuing to climb, Chinese officials said on Tuesday. By the end of Monday, the government said, 1,016 people had officially died from the coronavirus — an increase of 108 from the previous day. Most of the deaths occurred in Hubei Province.
The number of cases of infection in China also grew, to over 42,638 from about 40,000 a day earlier. Most of the infections are in Hubei, though the daily tally of new infections there fell compared to previous days. The number of confirmed infections in China also grew, to at least 42,638 from about 40,000 a day earlier. Most of the infections are in Hubei, though the daily tally of new cases there fell compared to previous days.
On Monday, Hubei recorded 2,097 new infections, compared to 2,618 the day before. Hubei recorded 2,097 new infections on Monday, compared to 2,618 a day earlier.
“With 99 percent of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Tuesday. “With 99 percent of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Tuesday.
One of the people evacuated to the United States from Wuhan last week is infected with the coronavirus, U.C. San Diego Health said in a statement. The Centers for Disease Control shared the diagnosis on Monday morning, the hospital said; the patient had previously been discharged after testing negative. One of the people evacuated to the United States from Wuhan last week is infected with the coronavirus, U.C. San Diego Health said in a statement. The Centers for Disease Control shared the diagnosis on Monday, the hospital said; the patient had previously been discharged after testing negative.
The patient, one of 167 passengers on a State Department-arranged flight from China that mostly carried American citizens, has since returned to the hospital near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. The patient, one of 167 passengers on a State Department-arranged flight, has since returned to the hospital near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
It is the 13th confirmed case in the United States, and the seventh in California.It is the 13th confirmed case in the United States, and the seventh in California.
Other government-arranged evacuation planes from China have taken passengers — more than 500 in all — to Nebraska, Texas and other bases in California in the last two weeks. Other government-arranged evacuation flights from China in the past two weeks have taken passengers — more than 500 in all — to other bases in California as well as to Nebraska and Texas.
Those evacuated are expected to be quarantined for 14 days, with frequent checks from medical personnel to determine whether they have developed fevers, coughs and other early signs of the virus. Those evacuated are expected to be quarantined for 14 days, with frequent checks from medical personnel to determine whether they have developed fevers, coughs or other symptoms.
A Holland America cruise ship with more than 2,200 people aboard was denied entry to Thailand on Tuesday over fears that passengers may be carrying the dangerous coronavirus, bringing the total number of ports from which it has been turned away to at least five. A Holland America cruise ship with more than 2,200 people aboard was denied entry to Thailand on Tuesday over fears that passengers may be carrying the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of ports from which it has been turned away to at least five.
The ship, the Westerdam, which departed from Hong Kong on Feb. 1, has already been turned away at ports in at least five countries, including the United States territory of Guam, the Philippines and Japan. The ship, the Westerdam, which left Hong Kong on Feb. 1, had already been turned away in at least five places, including the United States territory of Guam, the Philippines and Japan.
Thailand, which has reported more than 30 cases of the virus, had earlier agreed to let the ship dock in Bangkok on Thursday. Thailand, which has reported more than 30 cases of the virus, had agreed to let the ship dock in Bangkok, but then reversed course.
But the public health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, posted a cryptic message on Facebook on Tuesday saying, “I have issued orders. Permission to dock refused” with a cruise ship emoji. The country’s prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, defended the decision to deny the ship entry on Tuesday and said the government would provide the vessel with humanitarian aid.
Holland America has said that no one on board has come down with the virus. Holland America has said that no one onboard has come down with the virus.
“The ship is not in quarantine and we have no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on board despite media reports,” Holland America said in a statement issued Monday. “The ship is not in quarantine and we have no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on board despite media reports,” Holland America said in a statement.
The ship, said to have 1,445 passengers and 802 crew on board, was originally bound for Yokohama, Japan.The ship, said to have 1,445 passengers and 802 crew on board, was originally bound for Yokohama, Japan.
It was unclear where the ship is headed next. A country may be more willing to accept the ship once it has been afloat for the standard 14-day quarantine period and has no reported cases of the virus. It was unclear where the ship would head next. A country may be more willing to accept the ship once it has been afloat for the standard 14-day quarantine period and has no reported cases of the virus.
The company said that all passengers would receive a 100 percent refund and a 100 percent credit for a future trip. The ship was providing free internet and phone access to passengers, the company said.
A different ship, the Diamond Princess, has been docked for more than a week in Yokohama, Japan, where it was put under quarantine after cases of infection were confirmed. A different ship, the Diamond Princess, has been docked for more than a week in Yokohama, Japan, where it was put under quarantine after cases of infection were confirmed. The total number of cases on board is about 135, including at least 10 crew members. More than 1,000 crew members will receive two months of paid leave after the end of the ship’s isolation period, Princess Cruises said Tuesday.
Sixty-five more infections were confirmed on Monday, that ship’s captain told passengers, raising the total number of cases on board to 135. The Chinese Communist Party has dismissed two health officials in Hubei, the province at the center of the epidemic, state-run news outlets reported on Tuesday. They were the first senior officials to be punished for the government’s handling of the outbreak.
At least 20 of the infected passengers are from the United States, according to a Princess Cruises spokeswoman. In all, 416 American passengers boarded the vessel, the Diamond Princess, at the start of the voyage according to the spokeswoman. The officials were replaced by a deputy head of the National Health Commission, Wang Hesheng, whom Beijing dispatched to the region three days ago to take over the provincial government’s response to the crisis, according to state media.
China’s Communist Party dismissed two health officials in Hubei, the province at the center of the epidemic, the state-run media reported on Tuesday. They were the first senior officials to be punished for the government’s handling of the outbreak. Mr. Wang will take over the duties of both officials: Zhang Jin, the Communist Party secretary for Hubei’s health commission, and Liu Yingzi, the health commission’s director. Mr. Wang previously held a variety of positions overseeing public health and family planning in the city of Tianjin, and on the national level beginning in 2016.
They were replaced by a deputy head of the National Health Commission, Wang Hesheng, whom Beijing dispatched to the region three days ago to take over the provincial government’s response to the crisis, according to the media reports. It was not immediately clear whether the dismissals were the beginning of a broader political shake-up in the provincial government, whose response to the outbreak has been widely criticized. The party secretary and the mayor of Wuhan both offered to resign but have so far remained in their posts.
Mr. Wang will take over the duties of both officials: Zhang Jin, the Communist Party secretary for Hubei’s health commission, and Liu Yingzi, the health commission’s director. Mr. Wang previously held a variety of positions overseeing public health and family planning in Tianjin, near Beijing, and on the national level beginning in 2016. Until now, only two others have been dismissed in connection with the outbreak: two officials from Huajiahe were ousted after a disabled teenager died when his father, his sole caregiver, was put into quarantine.
It was not immediately clear whether the dismissals were the beginning of a broader political shake-up in the provincial government, whose response to the outbreak has been widely criticized. The party secretary and the mayor of Wuhan, Ma Guoqiang and Zhou Xianwang, both offered to resign but remain in their posts.
Until now, only two others have been dismissed in connection with the outbreak: two officials from Huajiahe, a township about a two-hour drive west of Wuhan. They were ousted after a disabled teenager died after his father, his sole caregiver, was quarantined.
The Royal Caribbean cruise company on Monday rescinded its ban on Chinese passport holders onboard its ships.The Royal Caribbean cruise company on Monday rescinded its ban on Chinese passport holders onboard its ships.
But the company’s reversal is little comfort to one passenger, Xiao Liu.But the company’s reversal is little comfort to one passenger, Xiao Liu.
Ms. Liu, a 34-year-old scientist at Princeton University, arrived at Port Canaveral, Fla., on Friday with her husband and 3-year-old daughter to board a cruise ship called Mariner of the Seas. A health care worker checked their temperatures and asked whether they had been in contact with anybody from mainland China recently. Though they answered no, the worker did not allow Ms. Liu on the cruise because she carries a Chinese passport.Ms. Liu, a 34-year-old scientist at Princeton University, arrived at Port Canaveral, Fla., on Friday with her husband and 3-year-old daughter to board a cruise ship called Mariner of the Seas. A health care worker checked their temperatures and asked whether they had been in contact with anybody from mainland China recently. Though they answered no, the worker did not allow Ms. Liu on the cruise because she carries a Chinese passport.
“This is clearly racial discrimination,” said Ms. Liu, who moved to the United States 11 years ago. “What makes me different from other passengers? My Chinese passport!”“This is clearly racial discrimination,” said Ms. Liu, who moved to the United States 11 years ago. “What makes me different from other passengers? My Chinese passport!”
In its statement, Royal Caribbean said it banned passengers holding passports from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau because governments around the world were enacting similar limits. “Now, governmental policies have been clarified, so we have changed this policy,” it said on Twitter. In its statement, Royal Caribbean said it had barred passengers holding passports from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau because governments around the world were enacting similar limits. “Now, governmental policies have been clarified, so we have changed this policy,” it said on Twitter.
As the coronavirus has spread — including hitting other cruise ships — Chinese people around the world have faced instances of xenophobia.As the coronavirus has spread — including hitting other cruise ships — Chinese people around the world have faced instances of xenophobia.
Reporting and research was contributed by Austin Ramzy, Vivian Wang, Steven Lee Myers, Russell Goldman, Elaine Yu, Richard C. Paddock, Ben Dooley, Motoko Rich, Amber Wang, Zoe Mou, Albee Zhang, Yiwei Wang, Claire Fu and Amy Qin.Reporting and research was contributed by Austin Ramzy, Vivian Wang, Steven Lee Myers, Russell Goldman, Elaine Yu, Richard C. Paddock, Ben Dooley, Motoko Rich, Amber Wang, Zoe Mou, Albee Zhang, Yiwei Wang, Claire Fu and Amy Qin.