Corona Virus .. Blocking Cars and Closing "Pizza Hut" and "Kentucky"

The Chinese city of Wuhan, afflicted with a new type of coronavirus, which has already been closed, has banned most cars from downtown, and Hong Kong said it would close schools for two weeks as authorities rushed Saturday to stem the spread of a disease that had infected more than 1,200 people and killed 41.

Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam said her government had declared the virus an emergency and that it would close primary and secondary schools for an additional two weeks before the lunar New Year holidays next week. It will be reopened on February 17.

It added that direct flights and trains from Wuhan will be banned. The outbreak began in the city of central China and spread throughout the country and abroad, driven by millions of people traveling during the country's largest holidays.

The vast majority of injuries and all deaths were on mainland China, but new cases arose.

It was announced that some Kentucky and Pizza Hut restaurants in Wuhan had been closed for fear of spreading the virus.

Australia and Malaysia reported their first cases on Saturday and Japan on their third case. France confirmed three cases Friday, the first in Europe, and the United States registered a second case, a woman in Chicago who returned from China.

The new virus comes from a large family known as corona viruses, some of which do nothing worse than cold. The virus causes cold and flu-like symptoms, including coughing and fever, and in the most severe cases shortness of breath. It can be aggravated to cause pneumonia, which can be fatal.

China suspended trains, planes and other links with Wuhan on Wednesday, as well as public transportation within the city, and expanded the closure of 16 surrounding cities with a combined population of more than 50 million people.

Yichang, Suzhou, and Jingzhou cities were the last to be added to the list on Friday and Saturday evening.

Wuhan took another step Saturday, announcing that the use of cars, including private cars, would be banned in downtown areas from after midnight, government media reported. Reports said only vehicles authorized to carry supplies and other needs would be allowed to travel thereafter.

English-language China Daily said Wuhan will allocate 6,000 taxis to various neighborhoods, under the management of local committees, to help people relocate if they need them.

The South China Morning Post reported that in Hong Kong, where five cases have been confirmed, the marathon that was expected to attract 70,000 participants on February 9th has been canceled.

Most days of celebrations in China started with a worrying new Corona virus on Saturday. The authorities canceled a group of Lunar New Year celebrations and closed the main tourist sites and cinemas.

The National Health Committee reported that the number of injured people increased to 1287 cases. The latest issue comes from 29 provinces and cities across China, including 237 patients in serious condition. Among the 41 deaths in China, 39 were in Hubei Province, where the capital Wuhan is located, and one in both Hebei and Heilongjiang provinces.

Health authorities in Heishi City, Guangxi Province, said on Saturday that a two-year-old girl from Wuhan had been diagnosed with the disease after arriving in the city.