China has expanded lockdowns to at least 10 cities in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
The country is building a hospital dedicated to treating patients infected with the virus that has killed at least 26 people so far.
The Wuhan government said it is building a designated hospital with space for 1,000 beds in the style of a facility that Beijing constructed during the Sars epidemic. The hospital is expected to be completed on February 3, according to authorities.
Authorities are taking precautions around the country. In the capital, Beijing, major public events have been cancelled indefinitely, including traditional temple fairs that are a staple of Lunar New Year celebrations. Two major tourist destinations, Beijing’s Forbidden City and Shanghai Disneyland, announced they will close indefinitely on Saturday.
The number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus has risen to 830, the National Health Commission said. Some 26 people have died, including the first two deaths outside Hubei.
Initial symptoms of the virus can mirror those of the cold and flu, including cough, fever, chest tightening and shortness of breath, but can worsen to pneumonia.
The vast majority of cases have been in and around Wuhan, but people who visited or had personal connections to infected people were among the scattered cases counted beyond the mainland. South Korea and Japan both confirmed their second cases on Friday and Singapore confirmed its third. Cases have been detected in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, the United States, Thailand and Vietnam.
The World Health Organisation has decided against declaring the outbreak a global emergency for now. The declaration can increase resources to fight a threat but its potential to cause economic damage makes the decision politically fraught.
Chinese officials have not said how long the shutdowns of the cities will last. While sweeping measures are typical of China’s Communist Party-led government, large-scale quarantines are rare around the world, even in deadly epidemics, because of concerns about infringing on people’s liberties.
The Wuhan outbreak is suspected to have begun from wild animals sold at a food market in the city. The market is closed for investigation.
