The Coronavirus, which is marked by fevers and pneumonialike symptoms, originated in Wuhan, an 11 million-person city in China's Hubei province.
Health officials check body temperatures of passengers from Wuhan, at the Beijing airport on January 22
On Wednesday, local disease-control authorities in Wuhan issued an order to quarantine the city, which is slated to go into effect on Thursday at 10 a.m. local time. The order stops all public transportation, including city buses, trains, and ferries. It also prevents any buses or trains from coming into or leaving the city and grounds all planes at the Wuhan airport.
The city is split into three districts: Hankou, Wuchang, and Hanyang, with rivers cutting in between them. Many people work in one district and live in another, so the ban on interdistrict travel will likely cripple the city's normal functioning.
According to local authorities, citizens are no longer permitted to leave Wuhan without a "special reason."
The announcement comes as the Lunar New Year approaches. Usually, the annual 40-day holiday leads the country's trains, planes, roads, and ferries to fill as 3 billion people journey home to be with family.