Lockdown on central Chinese city effective Jan. 23 applies to air, ground transportation

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/01/23
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Chinese authorities have locked down Wuhan, the epicenter of the potentially deadly coronavirus outbreak, around 2,000 Taiwanese businesspeople in the city are believed to have been prevented from returning home to celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday with their families.

According to media reports, all public and air transportation systems in Wuhan have all been suspended since Thursday morning (Jan. 23) after the number of confirmed cases in China skyrocketed to 571 and the official death toll rose to 17. To prevent the spread of the virus, citizens are not allowed to leave the city.

Taiwan's Ministry of Transportation confirmed the news, saying a total of 12 outbound flights from Wuhan to Taiwan have been suspended under the new quarantine order, with around 2,000 Taiwanese businesspeople likely stranded in the city.

The flights being affected include those operated by China Airlines (Mondays and Thursdays: Taoyuan-Wuhan); China Eastern Airlines (Mondays and Thursdays: Taoyuan-Wuhan); China Southern Airlines (Fridays: Taoyuan-Wuhan); Mandarin Airlines (Wednesdays and Saturdays: Taipei-Wuhan); China Eastern Airlines (Fridays and Sundays: Kaohsiung-Wuhan); and China Southern Airlines (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays: Kaohsiung-Wuhan).    [FULL  STORY]