China confirms first death outside epicentre of viral outbreak

Medical staff transfering a patient of a highly suspected case of a new coronavirus at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong, China, on Thursday night (Jan 23). - Reuters

BEIJING: China moved to lock down at least three cities with a combined population of more than 18 million in an unprecedented effort on FRiday (Jan 24) to contain the deadly new virus that has sickened hundreds of people and spread to other parts of the world during the busy Lunar New Year holiday.

The open-ended lockdowns are unmatched in size, embracing more people than New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago put together.