The damaging, spreading plague of coronavirus has restrained the celebration of Lunar New Year in China. The supposed-to-be-crowded celebration feels empty in contrast to last year’s.
The coronavirus outbreak forces the government to warn citizens to not leave their house and cut accesses between cities. Travel restrictions have been expanded to 13 cities in Hubei, the source of the virus.
Accordingly, the travel restrictions indubitably jeopardize the customs of Lunar New Year in China, which is to travel to hometown. As a comparison, the Chinese New Year for Chinese is what Christmas to Christians or Ied to Muslims.
Normally, various parades and festivals color the celebration. As family gathering takes place during the holiday, the activities mostly happen outdoors.
However, the travel restrictions and the government’s warnings due to the coronavirus outbreak drastically change the celebration. Let alone visiting their parents, many people do not even leave their houses.
“Usually we celebrate as a family. Now, because of the virus, I’m not even visiting my parents. It will be great just to be able to make it through the outbreak,” said a Wuhan resident.
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Updates of China Coronavirus during Lunar New Year
Until the Lunar New Year, the latest update reported that there were 1.300 cases globally. Of those, 1287 happened in China and death toll reached 41 as of Saturday.
More foreign countries also claimed to find novel cases of coronavirus infection in their respective countries. The virus has spread to Europe and Northern America, Friday data says.
France found its third case on Friday evening and the US just confirmed its second case. The US, UK, and Canada are conducting further investigations to find out other possible cases.
As in Asia, Singapore discovered its third case, in which the patient is the son of another patient. Nepal just encountered its first case. Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea had two respectively. Taiwan confirmed one case while Thailand confirmed five cases.
Regarding the spreading epidemic, World Health Organization has yet to announce it as a global emergency. The reason being is that there are too few overseas cases happening and, also, other diseases need more attention.
“It may yet become one,” said the WHO’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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