Coronavirus Outbreak Impacting Travel, Trade, Life In Quarantined Chinese Cities

AP: Fears of new virus trigger anti-China sentiment worldwide
“A scary new virus from China has spread around the world. So has rising anti-Chinese sentiment, calls for a full travel ban on Chinese visitors and indignities for Chinese and other Asians…” (Kim, 2/2).

CNN: U.S. enforces coronavirus travel restrictions. China says it’s an overreaction
“The U.S. has begun implementing new rules around travel from China as the coronavirus death toll creeps higher — rules that include re-routing Americans flying into the country to specific airports for screening. So far, more than 360 people have died in China and more than 17,000 have been infected across more than 25 countries…” (Maxouris, 2/3).

New York Times: Quieter Response to Coronavirus in Countries Where China Holds Sway
“…The World Health Organization has declared the epidemic, which appears to have originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a global health emergency. But the message does not seem to be resonating in some parts of Southeast Asia, a magnet for Chinese tourists and workers. The region now has the largest cluster of coronavirus patients outside China. Some governments there have either played down the threat of the epidemic or openly worried about offending a superpower whose economic heft can propel their economies…” (Beech, 2/2).

Reuters: WHO chief says widespread travel bans not needed to beat China virus
“World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday there was no need for measures that ‘unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade’ in trying to halt the spread of a coronavirus that has killed 361 people in China. … China is facing increasing international isolation due to restrictions on flights to and from the country, and bans on travelers from China…” (Nebehay/Macfie, 2/3).

Reuters: China decries travel, visa measures taken against WHO advice on virus
“China on Monday decried some countries for denying entry to people from Hubei province, at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, and cancelling of flights, as going against WHO recommendations not to take unnecessary or excessive measures. In a speech to the World Health Organization’s Executive Board, which opened a six-day session in Geneva, China’s delegate said the international community needed to treat the new virus outbreak objectively, fairly, and not ‘deliberately create panic’ among the general public…” (Nebehay/Williams, 2/3).

Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Closes China to the World, Straining Global Economy
“China’s isolation amid the coronavirus outbreak, a rare freeze out for such a vital economic center, is rippling across the world. Uncertainty over the virus — which has infected more than 17,000 people — has disrupted world-wide trade and supply chains, depressed asset prices, and forced multinational businesses to make hard decisions with limited information…” (Areddy et al., 2/3).

Additional coverage of travel bans related to coronavirus and the economic and social impacts is available from ABC, AFP, BBC, Financial Times, Fortune, New York Times (2) (3) (4), NPR, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

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