Beijing to Close Parts of China's Great Wall to Visitors

Some sections of China’s Great Wall, near Beijing, will be closed to visitors from Saturday to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, state media and the Beijing government office, which manages the Badaling part of the wall, announced on Friday.

The reconstructed Badaling section is among the most visited parts of the wall.

China had also shut down transport, temples, Shanghai Disneyland theme park as virus toll rises to 25.

While most of the cases and all of the deaths have been in China, however, the virus has been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States.

"It was highly likely Britain also had cases," a health official said.

The National Health Commission had announced that there were 830 confirmed cases and 25 people had died, as of Thursday.

Most cases have been in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, and Huanggang, neighboring city of about 7 million, were in a virtual lockdown.

Rail stations were largely shut, with few trains stopping, flights suspended and checkpoints on main roads in and out.

It is believed that the virus to have originated in a market in Wuhan that traded illegally in wildlife. Preliminary research suggested it crossed to humans from snakes.

China Emergency, not a global concern

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared Thursday the new coronavirus an emergency for China but did not declare the epidemic an international concern.

The WHO stated that it was a “bit too early” to consider the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

However, many countries had warned their citizens from traveling to China.

Furthermore, Egypt's authorities have officially announced that starting from Thrusday, travellers arriving from China at Cairo airport will undergo screening for signs of the new coronavirus outbreak.

Reuters quoted airport sources saying that there are doctors and health monitors in arrival halls equipped with medical devices needed to examine passengers coming from China.

“Flight attendants have also been instructed to report any coronavirus suspected cases among travellers and any suspected cases would be isolated and sent to hospital,” the sources added.

The sources noted that all airports in Egypt are on high alert and have received the same instructions, but most of the flights coming from China arrive in Cairo airport.