January 28 coronavirus news

Japan’s health ministry confirmed two additional cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to six. 

The sixth patient -- a man in his 60s in western Japan -- has no history of visiting Wuhan, but is a bus driver who drove tour groups from the central Chinese city for nine days, according to the health ministry.

This is the first case of suspected human-to-human transmission in Japan from someone who did not travel to Wuhan.  

On Sunday, China announced a ban on outbound group travel as part of measures to stop the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the government will "temporarily" close some of its borders with mainland China and travel permits to mainland Chinese tourists will stop being issued.

Here's why that's a big deal.

Legacy of SARS: Memories of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002 and 2003 run deep in Hong Kong, where 1,750 people were infected and more than 280 died of the disease.

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with ideal conditions for diseases to spread -- in tightly packed subway train carriages and people living cheek by jowl in the city's notoriously tiny apartments.

Initial suppression of information about the SARS outbreak after it was discovered in southern China heightened mistrust of the central Chinese government among many in Hong Kong.

So it should therefore come as no surprise that the outbreak of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan in December raised suspicions -- and fears -- in Hong Kong.

Politically sensitive time: Hong Kong's move to close some of its borders comes amid eight months of ongoing anti-government protests that began against a now-scrapped China extradition bill, which have expanded to include demands for greater autonomy in the semi-autonomous city.

So it's a particularly sensitive time for Hong Kong's beleaguered leader, Carrie Lam, with recent polls showing her popularity at an all-time low in a divided city. However, calls to limit travel from mainland China came from lawmakers on both sides of Hong Kong's political divide.

The coronavirus patient in Germany has been identified as a 33-year-old German man who works in Starnberg, south of Munich. He had not been to China but was in a meeting with a Chinese national last week, who has since been identified with the coronavirus, Dr. Andreas Zapf, the head of the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food safety said Tuesday.

Zapf said at a news conference that the patient had attended a company meeting in Starnberg last week, where the training manager -- a female Chinese citizen -- was leading the meeting. The Chinese staff member is originally from Shanghai, but her parents had visited her there a few days prior to the meeting in Germany, Zapf said.

The Chinese citizen has since flown back to China. She felt ill on the flight back and tested positive for the coronavirus after her return to Shanghai. She notified the German office upon this discovery, Zapf said. 

The first three European cases of Wuhan coronavirus were identified in France on Friday.

Television stations across China will cut down entertainment programming, including popular variety show, to air more reports on the outbreak, according to a statement posted Tuesday by the National Radio and Television Administration.

The move comes as the country steps up efforts to contain the spread of the virus. Speaking at a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday, China's ambassador to the UN said the country has "full capability and confidence in winning the battle against the epidemic."

"Putting the interests of the people first, China has taken rapid and strong measures, putting in place a nationwide prevention and control mechanism," Ambassador Zhang Jun said.

"China has been working with the international community in the spirit of openness, transparency and scientific coordination. With a great sense of responsibility, China is sparing no effort in curbing the spread of disease and saving lives. Now is a crucial moment, and China has full capability and confidence in winning the battle against the epidemic."

Some 60 million people have been placed under travel restrictions in Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, with almost all movement in and out of Wuhan itself stopped and much of the city on lockdown.

Officials have also cracked down on the trade of wild animals, after the Wuhan coronavirus was linked to a seafood market selling exotic live mammals, including bats and civet cats, which have previously been linked to the 2003 SARS outbreak.

US airlines are giving customers more time to change their flights to China without incurring fees as the coronavirus continues to spread, and as American authorities raise travel precautions for the country.

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines on Monday each extended change fee waivers through the end of February. Earlier, they had issued waivers through the end of January.

That means people scheduled to fly before then on either airline to Beijing or Shanghai --- the two cities that each company serves in mainland China --- can change to a different flight without paying a fee to do so.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday raised its travel precaution for China to its highest level. That means it's advising travelers to "avoid nonessential travel" to the country. Previously, only Hubei province --- where Wuhan is located --- carried such a warning.

Read the full story here.

As coronavirus cases continue to rise in Wuhan and wider Hubei province, several countries are taking action to repatriate their citizens in the affected areas.

Here are the countries planning or preparing to evacuate citizens:

The US: About 240 Americans being evacuated from Wuhan Wednesday morning local time will arrive in Anchorage, Alaska, before arriving in Ontario, California. About three dozen Wuhan-based US diplomats and their families are also expected to be on board, a US official with knowledge of the matter told CNN.

Japan: Japan is sending a charter flight to Wuhan tonight to retrieve about 200 citizens on Tuesday night local. It will leave Wuhan Wednesday morning and will arrive in Tokyo by midday local time. Roughly 650 Japanese citizens have requested to return to Japan, and the government will send more flights from Wednesday onwards.

Australia: Australia's health minister said yesterday he was working with the Chinese Foreign Minister to repatriate Australian citizens in Wuhan, including 100 "young Australians."

India: The Indian government is looking for "possible travel options out of Hubei province" for citizens in Wuhan, said a government spokesperson on Sunday. This comes after reports of 56 Indian students at the Wuhan University School Of Medicine who had been trapped in Wuhan since the lockdown.

South Korea: Four charter planes will evacuate South Korean citizens from Wuhan, said a government spokesperson today. Almost 700 South Korean citizens have applied to take the flight out.

France: A plane will fly French citizens back from Wuhan to France sometime this week, said the French Health Minister on said Sunday. There are around 800 French citizens in Wuhan.

United Kingdom: The UK is "looking at all the options" to help Britons trapped in Wuhan, said the UK Home Secretary after being asked about the possibility of evacuation flights.

At a bus station near the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, in mainland China, some residents tell CNN they are concerned about the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.

“I’m worried. If they close (the border) now it’s too late. If they have (the virus) it is already in Hong Kong," said Chan Moon, 38, a property agent.

"Hong Kong is small and congested, if the virus breaks out -- I’m worried that it will be like SARS.”

SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, was a coronavirus identified in southern China that infected 8,000 people and killed more than 700 between 2002 and 2003.

Ms Chow, 55, who was traveling from the border at Lo Wu to her home in Sheung Shui, in Hong Kong's New Territories, said that she had to go through automatic checks at the border and had filled in a health declaration form.

Later on Tuesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the government will "temporarily" close some of its borders with mainland China, cut flights from the mainland and suspend cross-border ferry services, in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam arrived at press conference today wearing a surgical face mask, alongside several other members of her senior team.

Just a few months ago, the sight of government officials wearing masks would have been unthinkable -- for a very different reason.

Today's press conference, and the officials' decision to wear masks, come as the Hong Kong government look to step up efforts to enforce better public health measures.

As of today, there are eight confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Hong Kong. At the press conference, Lam announced additional measures including restricted travel across the Chinese border.

Masks in a different context: But a little over three months ago, in early October, Lam had invoked colonial-era emergency powers to ban people from wearing face masks in public assemblies as anti-government, pro-democracy protests rocked the city.

Protesters often wore face masks, as well as helmets and goggles, to obscure their identity and protect against tear gas when battling riot police on the streets.

For the entire second half of 2019, face masks were a symbol of the city's political crisis, and a statement on where you stood. When Lam announced the face mask ban, she said it would help "stop violence and restore calm to society," and act as a deterrent for protesters.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the government will "temporarily" close some of its borders with mainland China and travel permits to mainland Chinese tourists will stop being issued.

Border crossings: Four land border will close from midnight local time on Thursday January 30 "until further notice," Lam said.

That means people will not be able to travel between Hong Kong and the mainland using the West Kowloon Station, Hung Hom, Sha Tau Kok and Man Kam To.

Two water borders -- the Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal and the China Ferry Terminal -- will also be shut.

Planes: Flights from mainland China will decrease by 50%.

Trains: Lam said that cross border train services from West Kowloon -- which operates the high speed rail to the mainland -- and Hung Hom station will be temporarily stopped.

Ferries: All cross-border ferry services will be stopped, apart from ferries to Macao.

Buses and coaches: Bus and coach services coming from the mainland will also be decreased, Lam said.

Cross-boundary coach services at the Hong Kong-Zuhai-Macau Bridge will be suspended.

Visas: Lam said that after consulting with Chinese authorities, individual travel permits for mainland tourists will be stopped.