China extends holiday to buy time as virus keeps spreading

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, (centre) talking to shoppers at a supermarket in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province om Monday (Jan 27). China's No. 2 leader, Premier Li Keqiang, visited Wuhan to "guide epidemic prevention work," the Cabinet website said. - AP

WUHAN: China on Monday (Jan 27) extended its biggest national holiday to buy time in the fight against a viral epidemic and neighbouring Mongolia closed its border, after the death toll spiked to 81 despite unprecedented quarantine measures.

In a sign of the mounting official concern, Premier Li Keqiang visited ground-zero to oversee containment efforts in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people where the coronavirus emerged late last month.