China Locks Down 3 Cities at Epicenter of Virus Outbreak

China put on lockdown on Thursday two cities at the epicenter of a new coronavirus outbreak that has killed 17 people.
China Locks Down 3 Cities at Epicenter of Virus Outbreak
People walk past the closed Hankou Railway Station after the city was locked down following the outbreak of a new coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on Jan. 23, 2020. China Daily via Reuters
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BEIJING— China put on lockdown on Jan. 23 three cities at the epicenter of a new coronavirus outbreak that has killed over a dozen and infected scores of people, as health authorities around the world scramble to prevent a global pandemic.

Health officials fear the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel at home and abroad during week-long holidays for the Lunar New Year, which begins on Saturday.