China virus: an emergency in Hong Kong

(ANSA) - BEIJING, JANUARY 25 - Hong Kong has declared the coronavirus epidemic "an emergency" - the city's highest alarm level - while authorities have increased measures to try to reduce the risk of spreading further infections. "Today I declare to raise the level of emergency response," HongKong governor Carrie Lam told reporters, who added that she will personally chair an interdepartmental committee to allow for a faster response to the spread of the virus. Of the five people affected so far by the coronavirus in HongKong, four were from China on the recently operating high-speed train. This has led health authorities and politicians to limit, and even block, arrivals from China. Schools and universities, which are currently closed for the Lunar New Year, will reopen on February 17.