HONG KONG: Hong Kong announced it was closing all but two land crossings with the Chinese mainland on Monday to slow the spread of a deadly new coronavirus as medics staged strikes calling for the border to be completely sealed.
The semi-autonomous financial centre has 15 confirmed cases of the disease, most brought from the mainland where the epidemic began and has so far killed more than 360 people.
On Monday afternoon city leader Carrie Lam said all land crossings would be closed at midnight except for two bridges, the first connecting Hong Kong to Shenzhen and the second linking it with Zhuhai and casino hub
Macau.
The city’s airport — one of the world’s busiest — would remain open to mainlanders, although there are already restrictions on people from central Hubei province where the epidemic began.
Lam said the latest closures would reduce the number of Chinese mainlanders and allow officials to focus resources on two land entry points as well as the airport. — AFP
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