China expands lockdown against virus, fast-tracks hospital24 January 2020, by Yanan Wang

In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, image from China'sCCTV video, a patient is carried on a stretcher to anambulance by medical workers in protective suits inWuhan, China. China is swiftly building a hospitaldedicated to treating patients infected with a new virusthat sickened hundreds and prompted unprecedentedlockdowns of cities home to millions of people during thecountry's most important holiday. (CCTV via AP)

China expanded its lockdown against the deadlynew virus to an unprecedented 36 million peopleand rushed to build a prefabricated, 1,000-bedhospital for victims Friday as the outbreak cast apall over Lunar New Year, the country's biggest,most festive holiday.

The number of confirmed cases around the worldclimbed sharply to more than 850, with at least 25deaths, all of them in China.

Meanwhile, France announced two people hadfallen ill with the virus—the first cases in Europe.And the U.S. reported its second case, involving aChicago woman in her 60s who was hospitalizedafter returning from China. U.S. stocks fell inmidday trading, especially airlines and othercompanies in the travel and tourism industry.

,Transportation was shut down in Wuhan, the city of11 million at the epicenter of the outbreak, and in atleast 12 other cities in central China's Hubeiprovince, encompassing a population bigger thanthat of New York, London, Paris and Moscowcombined.

And authorities in Beijing and other cities canceledmany public celebrations and other events markingLunar New Year, which falls on Saturday.

Hospitals in Wuhan grappled with a flood ofpatients and a lack of supplies. Videos circulatingonline showed throngs of frantic people in maskslined up for examinations, and some complainedthat family members had been turned away athospitals that were at capacity.

In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, image from China'sCCTV video, a patient is carried on a stretcher to anambulance in Wuhan, China. China is swiftly building ahospital dedicated to treating patients infected with a newvirus that sickened hundreds and promptedunprecedented lockdowns of cities home to millions ofpeople during the country's most important holiday.(CCTV via AP)

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Authorities in Wuhan and elsewhere put out callsfor medicine, disinfection equipment, masks,goggles, gowns and other protective gear.

Wuhan authorities said they are rapidlyconstructing a new hospital to deal with the crisis,to be completed Feb. 3. It will be modeled on aSARS hospital that was built in Beijing in just sixdays during the SARS outbreak.

The seriousness of the crisis was still an openquestion.

It was not clear just how lethal the virus is, or evenwhether it is as dangerous as ordinary flu, whichkills tens of thousands of people every year in theU.S. alone. Scientists say it is also not clear if itspreads as easily as SARS, its genetic cousin,which also originated in China and killed about 800people in 2002-03.

The rapid increase in reported deaths and illnessesdoes not necessarily mean the crisis is gettingworse. It could instead reflect better monitoring andreporting of the newly discovered virus, whosesymptoms can initially resemble those of the coldand flu, including cough, fever and shortness ofbreath, but can worsen to pneumonia.

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, amedical worker writes their colleague's name on aprotective suit to aid in identification as they work atZhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan incentral China's Hubei Province, Firday, Jan. 24, 2020.China announced Friday that it is swiftly building a

1,000-bed hospital dedicated to patients infected with anew virus that has killed 26 people, sickened hundredsand prompted unprecedented lockdowns of cities duringthe country's most important holiday. (Xiong Qi/Xinhuavia AP)

"It's still too early to draw conclusions about howsevere the virus is because at the beginning of anyoutbreak you would focus more on the severecases," said Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesman for theWorld Health Organization in Geneva. "And thenmaybe we are missing some mild cases becausepeople will just be a little bit sick and will not have ittested. And they will recover."

With authorities afraid that public gatherings willhasten the spread of the virus, temples locked theirdoors, Beijing's Forbidden City, ShanghaiDisneyland and other major tourist destinationsclosed, and people canceled restaurantreservations ahead of Lunar New Year, normally atime of family reunions, sightseeing trips, fireworksdisplays and other festivities in the country of 1.4billion people.

Wuhan's usually bustling streets, malls and otherpublic spaces were unnervingly quiet on Day Twoof its lockdown, and masks were mandatory inpublic. Shoppers emptied store shelves, stockingup for what could be an extended period ofisolation. Karaoke bars, movie theaters and internetcafes around the region were shut down.

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In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, image from China'sCCTV video, a patient is carried on a stretcher to anambulance by medical workers in protective suits inWuhan, China. China is swiftly building a hospitaldedicated to treating patients infected with a new virusthat sickened hundreds and prompted unprecedentedlockdowns of cities home to millions of people during thecountry's most important holiday. (CCTV via AP)

While most of the deaths have been older patients,a 36-year-old man in Hubei died on Thursday.

The vast majority of cases have been in andaround Wuhan or involved people who visited thecity or had personal connections to those infected.About two dozen cases in all have been confirmedoutside mainland China, most of them in AsiaHongKong, Macao, South Korea, Japan, Singapore,Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Many countries are screening travelers from Chinaand isolating anyone with symptoms.

Chinese officials have not said how long theshutdowns of the cities will last.

Recalling the government's initial cover-up ofSARS, many Chinese are suspicious of the casenumbers reported by officials. Authorities havepromised transparency.

China's cabinet, the State Council, announced it willbe collecting information on governmentdepartments that have failed in their response tothe outbreak, including "delays, concealment andunder-reporting of the epidemic."

A security officer wears a hazardous materials suit at asubway station in Beijing, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Chinamoved to lock down at least three cities with a combinedpopulation of more than 18 million in an unprecedentedeffort to contain the deadly new virus that has sickenedhundreds of people and spread to other parts of the worldduring the busy Lunar New Year holiday. (APPhoto/Yanan Wang)

People wear masks on a street in Hong Kong, Friday,Jan. 24, 2020 to celebrate the Lunar New Year whichmarks the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac. Cuttingoff access to entire cities with millions of residents to stopa new virus outbreak is a step few countries other thanChina would consider, but it is made possible by theruling Communist Party's extensive social controls andexperience fighting the 2002-03 outbreak of SARS. (APPhoto/Kin Cheung)

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Passengers wear face masks as they wait for a train at asubway station in Beijing, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Chinabroadened its unprecedented, open-ended lockdowns toencompass around 25 million people Friday to try tocontain a deadly new virus that has sickened hundreds,though the measures' potential for success is uncertain.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A worker wearing a hazardous materials suit givesdirections to a passenger at a subway station in Beijing,Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. China broadened itsunprecedented, open-ended lockdowns to encompassaround 25 million people Friday to try to contain a deadlynew virus that has sickened hundreds, though themeasures' potential for success is uncertain. (APPhoto/Mark Schiefelbein)

A conductor wears a face mask as a train arrives at asubway station in Beijing, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Chinabroadened its unprecedented, open-ended lockdowns toencompass around 25 million people Friday to try tocontain a deadly new virus that has sickened hundreds,though the measures' potential for success is uncertain.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Heavy equipment works at a construction site for a fieldhospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province,Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. China is swiftly building a1,000-bed hospital dedicated to patients infected with anew virus that has killed 26 people, sickened hundredsand prompted unprecedented lockdowns of cities duringthe country's most important holiday. (Chinatopix via AP)

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People wear face masks as they shop for decorations forthe upcoming Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat, at amarket in Fuyang in central China's Anhui Province,Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. China is swiftly building a hospitaldedicated to treating patients infected with a new virusthat has killed 26 people, sickened hundreds andprompted unprecedented lockdowns of cities home tomillions of people during the country's most importantholiday. (Chinatopix via AP)

In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, photo, a staff memberwearing a hazardous materials suit hauls a bin at ahospital that reported a coronavirus death in Yichang incentral China's Hubei Province. China is swiftly building a1,000-bed hospital dedicated to patients infected with anew virus that has killed 26 people, sickened hundredsand prompted unprecedented lockdowns of cities duringthe country's most important holiday. (Chinatopix via AP)

In this Jan. 22, 2020 photo, a man wears a face mask ashe walks past a display for the upcoming Lunar NewYear, the Year of the Rat, in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan.22, 2020. A virus that has killed more than two dozenpeople and sickened hundreds more has all but shutdown China's biggest holiday of the year, the Lunar NewYear. Instead of family reunions or sightseeing trips,many of the country's 1.4-billion people are hunkeringdown as the country scrambles to prevent the illnessfrom spreading further. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein,File)

Police officers patrol as passengers queue at thedeparture hall of the high speed train station in HongKong, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020 to celebrate the Lunar NewYear which marks the Year of the Rat in the Chinesezodiac. Cutting off access to entire cities with millions ofresidents to stop a new virus outbreak is a step fewcountries other than China would consider, but it is madepossible by the ruling Communist Party's extensive socialcontrols and experience fighting the 2002-03 outbreak of

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SARS. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

The state broadcaster CCTV's annual SpringFestival Gala program, which attracted more than 1billion viewers last year, paid tribute to the medicalworkers fighting the outbreak.

"Please believe in China," the hosts said. "With themost transparent public information ... on thebattlefront of the epidemic, we will definitely win."

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