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A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 14 March 2020
In role reversal, Asia seeks to stop virus from coming in

By KEN MORITSUGU and called the moves an unso- moderate symptoms, such from Italy, four of whom by other nations to bring
KIM TONG-HYUNG phisticated reaction by na- as fever and cough. Some, had contracted the virus. back their nationals from
Associated Press tions with inept quarantine especially older adults and They allegedly took cold Wuhan, the capital of Hu-
BEIJING (AP) — From quar- bei province, after China
antining travelers from cut off commercial air and
overseas to nabbing those rail service in a lockdown
sneaking in with fevers, Chi- of the region to restrict the
na and other parts of Asia spread of the virus.
are scrambling to prevent A charter flight with 164
the new coronavirus from passengers arrived in the
coming back to where it city of Chengdu this week,
first broke out. following two flights bring-
Just as the spread of the dis- ing back 311 Chinese citi-
ease is stabilizing in much zens to the city of Lanzhou
of Asia, following a major in Gansu province last
outbreak in China and siz- week. The earlier flights led
able ones in South Korea to a spike in new cases,
and Japan, it is popping up with Gansu reporting 36
in new hot spots around the imported ones since they
world. landed.
Those three countries an- "We will ... take all neces-
nounced expanded bor- sary measures to ensure the
der controls this week that safety and legitimate rights
mimic many of the bans and interests of overseas
and restrictions placed Chinese citizens," Foreign
on China in the early days Ministry spokesman Geng
of the outbreak. China, Shuang said this week.
which didn't have enough China has dispatched
protective equipment for medical teams to Iran, Iraq
its medical workers a few and Italy and said it would
weeks ago, is now donat- contribute $20 million to
ing supplies to Italy, Iran, the World Health Organi-
South Korea and other af- zation in support of its ef-
fected places. forts to combat the virus. A
The outbreak is far from over In this March 12, 2020, photo, travelers walk out from the international arrival exit at the Capital nine-person medical team
in Asia and could well ex- International Airport terminal 3 in Beijing. with nine cargo pallets of
plode again when restric- Associated Press equipment including lung
tions put in place to stymie ventilators arrived in Rome
it are lifted. But the panic on Thursday night.
that seized the region has abilities. Now, as new infec- those with existing health medicine to lower their China, which bristled at a
shifted to the Mideast, Eu- tions have eased at home, problems, develop more fevers and falsified their blanket U.S. ban imposed
rope and the Americas as South Korea is stepping up severe illnesses such as health declaration forms, on non-citizens arriving
those areas deal with the border controls to prevent pneumonia. police said. from China, has chosen to
rapid spread of the virus for the virus from being rein- The vast majority of people The case is one of at least quarantine people rather
the first time. troduced by travelers from recover from the new virus. three in China under inves- than ban anyone. Presi-
China reported Friday just overseas. According to the World tigation. South of Shang- dent Donald Trump has ex-
eight new cases of the vi- Starting Sunday, the coun- Health Organization, peo- hai in Zhejiang province, panded that ban to several
rus in the previous 24 hours, try will extend special ple with mild illness recover six people who worked in European countries, draw-
and three were imported screening measures to pas- in about two weeks, while a restaurant in Italy and ing sharp criticism from the
from Italy, the United States sengers from France, Ger- those with more severe ill- developed coughs, head- European Union.
and the United Kingdom. many, Spain, Britain and ness may take three to six aches and fevers before Japan's moves to con-
The number has dropped the Netherlands, as well as weeks to recover. returning are under investi- trol the epidemic struck a
sharply from a month ago, those who have stopped in Beijing, which has identified gation for failing to report raw nerve in South Korea,
when the daily figure was Dubai and Moscow in the 18 imported cases in the their health condition when where resentment persists
in the thousands. Nearly 90 previous two weeks. past week, announced it entering China, according over Japan's colonization
imported cases have been Besides having their tem- would require anyone arriv- to Chinese media reports. of the Korean Peninsula in
identified in recent weeks. perature checked and ing from overseas to quar- In the north, the Epidemic the first half of the 20th cen-
National Health Commis- filling out health question- antine for 14 days. Previ- Prevention and Control tury.
sion spokesman Mi Feng naires, they will download ously, only those from plac- Center in Zhengzhou city After Japan imposed a 14-
said this week that the peak a smartphone app to re- es with serious outbreaks said a 30-year-old con- day quarantine on visitors
of outbreak has passed in port their health status daily had to do so. Shanghai, struction worker who had from South Korea and Chi-
China, but that "the fast de- to authorities. The screen- with eight imported cases traveled to Milan via Abu na, South Korea responded
velopment of the epidemic ing already applied to visi- confirmed so far, said late Dhabi falsely reported his by ending visa-free entry
overseas has introduced tors from mainland China, Thursday that people com- foreign travels. It didn't for Japanese citizens and
uncertainties." Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, ing from Italy, France, Ger- specify how he did so. He putting them under spe-
Just a week ago, South Ko- Italy and Iran. South Korea many, Spain, Iran, South has been put in isolation cial screening measures at
rea was complaining about also bans people coming Korea, Japan and the with a fever and police are points of entry.
a global scurry to block or from Hubei, the province in U.S. would have to do the investigating. South Korea has con-
restrict visitors coming from China with by far the most same. China has begun evacu- firmed about 8,000 cases,
the country. Foreign Minis- infections and deaths. For Police in Beijing say they ating its citizens from one the fourth highest in the
ter Kang Kyung-wha, in a most people, the new coro- are investigating a family of virus-hit country, Iran, echo- world after China, Italy and
rare moment of bluntness, navirus causes only mild or eight that returned home ing earlier flights organized Iran.q