China locks down more cities, transport facility affected

Wuhan: In order to take preventive measures to stop the spread of Coronavirus, China has announced the closure of five more cities on Saturday which has directly affected over 56 million people. The rules include closing public transport links and access to highways in the cities, local authorities said. 

China has ordered nationwide measures to identify suspected cases of a deadly virus on trains, aeroplanes and buses, as the death toll and number of patients has skyrocketed.

A total of 18 cities now have some sort of travel restrictions in central Hubei province.

Inspection stations will be set up and passengers with suspected pneumonia must be "immediately transported" to a medical centre, the National Health Commission said in a statement.

China on Friday said that it is building a 1,000-bed hospital for patients infected with the deadly virus that has claimed 26 lives so far with confirmed cases rising sharply to over 880, prompting authorities to shut down 13 cities during the country's most important holiday.