Scientists want to cut off Wuhan from the rest of the world to fight the spread of the deadly virus gripping the city

NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images

People wearing protective masks arrive at Beijing railway station to head home for Lunar New Year on January 21, 2020.

• A Chinese government scientist has said that people should avoid coming in and out of Wuhan to stop a deadly coronavirus gripping the city from spreading further, The Washington Post reported.
• The pneumonia-like virus has killed six people and infected nearly 300 more, Reuters reported, citing Chinese authorities.
• Health officials confirmed Monday that the disease can spread from person to person.
• Zeng Guang, the scientist, noted that his recommendation was not a government call, but a recommendation from his team of experts, the Post said.
• Authorities in Asia and the US are taking precautionary methods to stop the virus spreading any further, with medics scanning passengers on flights coming out of Wuhan and China.
• Fears over the virus spreading further are heightened in the run up to Lunar New Year, when many people will be traveling inside China and abroad.
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A scientist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has urged people in Wuhan to avoid coming in and out of the city to prevent a deadly coronavirus from spreading further.

As of Tuesday, the outbreak of the pneumonia-like virus has killed six people and infected nearly 300 more in China, Reuters reported, citing authorities in China.

Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control urged people in Wuhan to avoid leaving the city, and warned those intending to go there to avoid doing so if they can, according to The Washington Post.

"We hope people can avoid going to Wuhan if possible and that people in Wuhan can stay there," he said.

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Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital in Wuhan, where patients have been infected by the coronavirus, on January 18, 2020.

Zeng, who leads the Chinese government's efforts to respond to the outbreak, made clear that his recommendation to effectively cut off the city from the rest of the world is not a government-imposed quarantine.

"This is not a call from the officials but a suggestion from us in the expert team," he said, according to the Post.

Chinese medical authorities confirmed on Monday that the coronavirus can spread from person to person.

Authorities in Asia and the US have started to take precautionary methods to stop the virus spreading any further, with foreign airport authorities scanning passengers coming from China and medics in full-body protection gear checking the symptoms of passengers flying out of Wuhan.

The World Health Organization has called for an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss whether the virus constitutes a public health emergency, and will detail whether any further steps should be taken to halt it from becoming a global epidemic.

Fears over the virus spreading further are heightened in the run up to Lunar New Year as many people will be traveling from the city domestically and internationally.

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• Everything we know about the mysterious, deadly Wuhan virus sweeping across China

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