From school bans to death penalties: Here's how seriously different countries are taking the coronavirus outbreak
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China Daily via Reuters
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Worker disinfects playground equipment inside a kindergarten as students' returning has been delayed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, in China.
- As thousands of coronavirus cases are being recorded across the world, governments are trying everything to clamp down on its rapid spread.
- China has borne the brunt of the epidemic, and has the most extreme response. Other countries have taken varying approaches to prevention and containment.
- In the US, the Trump administration has been criticized for the level of seriousness with which it has treated the virus.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
As the number of global coronavirus cases approaches 95,000, the world is struggling to cope with its spread.
From Saudi Arabia to Japan and France, governments have taken a range of measures to stop the spread of the virus as quickly as possible.
Travel restrictions, limited quarantines and banning mass gatherings are at the milder end of the responses employed.
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On the extremes, there have been total lockdowns of cities, and threats to implement the death penalty on those who deliberately hamper the work of public health officials.
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China, which has borne the brunt of the outbreak, was initially slow to respond to the virus, but then implemented the harshest measures in the world.
Some of the measures included putting entire cities on lockdown, including the epicenter Wuhan. Almost 500 million people were affected.
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It also included building two makeshift hospitals in just 10 days, to accommodate the influx of coronavirus patients that had to be treated as quickly as possible.
Wuhan also turned sports centers, exhibition halls, and other local venues into makeshift hospitals, creating over 10,000 beds for more patients.
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Some counties in China took measures to the extreme by offering $140 to anybody who reported someone who had come there from Wuhan.
Another province threatened the death penalty to anyone caught deliberately spreading the virus.
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In South Korea — the country with the most coronavirus cases outside of China — President Moon Jae-In said the government was now "waging a war."
Instead of putting cities on lockdown, South Korea has chosen to randomly test thousands of people everywhere from hospitals to drive-through stations.
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Inspired by fast-food restaurants, South Korean officials started testing people in their cars from February 26.
Drivers are expected to randomly pull into parking lots, to give saliva samples and get their temperatures measured. Their results get sent to them via SMS.
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Meanwhile, authorities have been disinfecting public buildings, streets, as well as public transportation.
Japan has also been struggling with the spread of coronavirus. The country saw its biggest one-day increase on March 4, with 36 new infections.
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In an effort to clamp down on the spread, the government banned anyone coming from the Hubei and Zhejiang provinces in China from entering the country on February 12.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also sent shockwaves across the country when he announced on February 27 that all schools would shut down until early April.
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The governor of the country's worst-affected prefecture, Hokkaido, also issued a state of emergency on February 28, leaving restaurants and shops looking deserted.
Stadiums are also affected. Japan's professional baseball league announced on February 26 that it will play its 72 remaining pre-season games in empty arenas.
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But the country has also been criticized.
It bungled the quarantine of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which health experts said was "completely inadequate in terms of infection control."
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Another country that has been criticized for its lack of management is Iran. Ministers have been accused of misleading the public and downplaying the severity of the virus.
After a surge in confirmed cases, Iran shut down its schools, universities and cultural centers on February 23. It also started disinfecting buses and subway trains.
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Iran's prosecutor general said on March 1 that hoarding necessary equipment or doing anything disruptive to the supply of healthcare items could end in the death penalty.
On March 4, Friday prayers were canceled for a second consecutive week. On March 5 it was announced that all football matches would be suspended until March 19.
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8% of Iran's parliament has been infected with the virus, leading ministers to cancel any public gatherings, including government meetings.
In an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus in crowded jails, authorities also temporarily released 54,000 prisoners on March 3.
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Amid fears that the virus will spread further, neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia have partially or wholly closed their borders with Iran.
While it has no direct border with Iran, Saudi Arabia still took precautionary measures days before its first recorded case.
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On February 27, it banned pilgrims from entering the country and closed down two of the holiest shrines of Islam, the Kaaba and the Great Mosque in Mecca.
Officials also announced that the kingdom would be barring all incoming passengers from any Gulf state.
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In India, which has 29 confirmed cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on March 4 that he won't be attending this year's Holi celebrations. They begin on March 9.
New coronavirus cases also jumped sharply in Europe, with Italy being the worst-hit. As of March 5, the country record over 3,000 cases, mostly in its northern regions.
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On February 26, the government put 11 towns in Lombardy on lockdown.
Police are patrolling the towns and have imposed fines on anyone caught trying to enter or leave the outbreak areas.
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Meanwhile, public transport is being disinfected daily...
...football matches in the Serie A league will be played behind closed doors for a month...
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... tourist sites, including the famous Milan cathedral, have closed to visitors...
...and schools and universities will be shut for 10 days, the government announced on March 4.
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Museums in France also shut down temporarily. The Louvre closed its doors for several days before reopening them again on March 4.
French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron said his government would take control of the country's stock of face masks to ensure they are available for all patients and health workers.
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On February 29, the country's health minister, Olivier Véran, told French citizens to stop participating in the traditional greeting of kissing someone on both cheeks
On the same day, the country introduced a ban on public gatherings of over 5,000 people, which resulted in the cancellation of the Paris half marathon.
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In the UK, Boris Johnson's government published an action plan to tackle the virus, which includes preparing "no-go zones" and a ban on mass public gatherings.
However, as of March 5, the drastic-sounding measures have yet to be enforced.
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The plan states the UK would also enlist retired medical staff to cope with the crisis and that there is a chance that people would be working from home for at least three months.
Cities across the US are also starting to prepare for the virus. Currently, there are at least 150 reported cases, across 16 states.
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Each state seems to be handling the coronavirus epidemic differently.
New York announced on March 4 that it would be doing a deep clean of its subway systems and public transit vehicles daily...
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...a measure which is also being taken up by Seattle in Washington state, where the majority of US deaths have been recorded.
The state also declared an emergency last month after its first coronavirus death was confirmed on February 29.
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California followed suit on March 5, also declaring a state of emergency after its first coronavirus-related death.
Several schools in Washington state, Oregon, Rhode Island, and New York have shut down mainly as a precautionary measure.
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Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has been accused by public health experts of downplaying coronavirus fears and "confusing" the public after contradicting official CDC warnings.
On March 4, the US Senate passed an $8.3 billion bill to combat the spread of the virus and develop vaccines.
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In Australia, panic buying because of coronavirus fears led to major supermarkets enforcing strict limits on toilet paper and hand sanitizer purchases.
Countries that have been praised for their handling of the coronavirus are Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
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A senior WHO official said on February 2019: "Singapore is leaving no stone unturned, testing every case of influenza-like illness and pneumonia...other countries should follow its example."
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