China Agrees To Allow International Experts To Visit To Help Bolster Country’s Coronavirus Response

The New York Times: China Will Admit International Experts To Help Contain Coronavirus Outbreak
After repeatedly declining assistance from international health officials, Chinese authorities agreed on Tuesday to permit teams of experts coordinated by the World Health Organization to visit China to help contain the growing coronavirus outbreak. The news arrived as federal health officials announced expanded screening measures for passengers from China at 20 ports of entry to the United States. (Rabin, 1/28)

Reuters: China Agrees To WHO Sending Experts To Study Virus
"The discussions focused on continued collaboration on containment measures in Wuhan, public health measures in other cities and provinces, conducting further studies on the severity and transmissibility of the virus, continuing to share data, and for China to share biological material with WHO," the WHO said. This would contribute to developing vaccines and treatments. (1/28)

The New York Times: Death Toll Climbs, And So Does The Number Of Infections
China said on Wednesday that 132 people had died from the virus, which is believed to have originated in the central city of Wuhan and is spreading across the country. The previous count, on Tuesday, was 106. The number of confirmed cases increased to 5,974 on Wednesday, up from 4,515 on Tuesday, according to the National Health Commission. (1/28)

Reuters: WHO Weighs Science And Politics In Global Virus Emergency Decision
Most of the World Health Organization's (WHO) criteria for declaring a global emergency have been met, but it is awaiting clear evidence of a sustained spread of the new coronavirus outside China before doing so, some experts and diplomats said. The U.N. agency is seeking to balance the need to ensure China continues to share information about the virus while also giving sound scientific advice to the international community on the risks, according to several public health experts and a Western diplomat who tracks the WHO's work. (1/29)

The Wall Street Journal: Travel Barriers Rise As WHO Chief Praises Beijing’s Coronavirus Response
In Beijing, Dr. Tedros, as he is known, expressed confidence in China’s approach to controlling the epidemic at a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and called for people to remain calm, according to a readout by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Tedros offered similar praise in a meeting later in the day with Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media reported. (Yang, 1/28)

The New York Times: Cordoning The Coronavirus: Countries Limit Travel To China
Countries, cities and businesses across the globe issued new travel warnings on Tuesday, vastly expanding a cordon intended to control the flow of people to and from China, where the authorities are struggling to contain the outbreak of the new coronavirus. In the most drastic measure to limit travel, the Hong Kong authorities reduced by half the number of flights and shut down rail service to mainland China, and they also limited visas — moves that could inspire other governments to follow suit. (Mozur, 1/28)

The New York Times: Virus Crisis Exposes Cracks In China’s Facade Of Unity
From the outside, China’s Communist Party appears powerful and effective. It has tightened its control over Chinese politics and culture, the economy and everyday life, projecting the image of a gradually unifying society. The coronavirus outbreak has blown up that facade. Staff members at prestigious Union Hospital in Wuhan, the city at the center of the outbreak, have joined others around China in begging online for medical supplies. (Yuan, 1/28)

The Washington Post: Can The Coronavirus Be Contained? Unknowns Complicate Response.
China has ordered an unprecedented quarantine of more than 50 million people. It has closed schools and shut down live animal markets. Airports across the globe are screening passengers coming from the world’s most populous country. But three weeks after the new coronavirus emerged as a health crisis, experts can’t yet say whether these efforts will succeed at containing an infection that now threatens at least 15 countries. (Sun and Bernstein, 1/28)

The Wall Street Journal: British Airways Suspends China Flights As Coronavirus Spreads
British Airways said it had canceled all flights to and from mainland China, the first global airline to do so, as a dangerous new coronavirus roiled Asia and spread steadily beyond. The U.K. had followed the U.S. in advising against nonessential travel to China, as had New Zealand. British Airways, a unit of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, said flights to Hong Kong will continue. (Yang, 1/29)

The Wall Street Journal: As China Locks Down Cities, Residents Battle Virus Fears—And Boredom
Cai Xu has been outside once in seven days. Twice, if you count taking out the trash. Any other year around this time, the 31-year-old manager at an internet company would be 900 miles south in the countryside, playing mahjong with his extended family for the Lunar New Year holiday. Instead, he is sequestered in his Beijing apartment, unable to do much except try—unsuccessfully, so far—to notch a new personal high score in Arena of Valor, a mobile combat game. (Dou, 1/29)

CNN: How To Stop Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak From Spreading Throughout The World
The outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus in central China has infected thousands and spread overseas, raising the specter of a potential global epidemic as authorities desperately try to contain it. Since the first case was identified in early December in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, more than 5,900 people have fallen sick and at least 132 people have died in mainland China. In addition, there are dozens of confirmed cases in 17 locations outside of mainland China, including at least five in the United States. (Hollingsworth, 1/28)

Bloomberg: China Cases Near 6,000 as WHO Prepares Briefing: Virus Update
Toyota Motor Corp. is halting operations in China until Feb. 9, joining a growing list of global companies that have cut back on business activities in China. “Given the various factors including the guidelines by the local and region governments and parts supply situation, as of Jan. 29, we have decided to halt operations in our plants in China until Feb. 9,” said Maki Niimi, a spokesman for the Japanese automaker. “We will monitor the situation and make further decisions on operations from Feb. 10.” (Sutherland, 1/28)

Bloomberg: The Market Is Trying To Put A Price On The Coronavirus Outbreak
Past performance, money managers warn us in countless marketing documents, is no guarantee of future results. Yet when a threat emerges to the value of investment portfolios, Wall Street’s market pundits rush to find an analogous past event. So as the number of patients with the coronavirus swiftly grew into the thousands over the past week in China, analysts’ time machines landed back in 2003. That was the year that severe acute respiratory syndrome spread from China to the rest of the world, eventually infecting about 8,100 people and causing 774 fatalities. The cold takeaway for Wall Street? That turned out to be a great year for stocks. Despite some turbulence caused by SARS, the S&P 500 rallied 26% and the MSCI China Index surged 81% that year. (Regan, 1/29)

Bloomberg: Virus Fears Push Southeast Asia Markets Closer To Bear Levels
Southeast Asian equity markets, already suffering from foreign outflows, are now at the brink of witnessing bear markets for some of its members as the coronavirus-induced sell-off continues. The risk aversion caused by the deadly virus has pushed the main equity benchmarks of Thailand and Malaysia to within 3% of what would mark a 20% fall from their peaks. The main Philippine gauge entered into a correction after its president cracked down on some of the nation’s biggest businesses. (Vishnoi and Mookerjee, 1/29)

Bloomberg: U.A.E. News: First Middle East Cases Of Coronavirus Reported
The United Arab Emirates reported the first cases of the novel coronavirus in the Middle East on Wednesday. The disease was diagnosed in a four-member Chinese family that had arrived from Wuhan city, state-run WAM news agency reported, citing the Ministry of Health and Prevention. (Elbahrawy, 1/29)

Bloomberg: Putin Summons Officials To Discuss Measures Against Coronavirus
Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling senior officials to a meeting Wednesday to discuss “what is being done to prevent the spread of coronavirus” in the country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin will hold talks with Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko and the head of the Rospotrebnadzor public health watchdog, Anna Popova, on actions taken by ministries and state agencies, Peskov said. “The government is working very actively” on preventative measures, he said. (Arkhipov and Kravchenko, 1/29)

Bloomberg: 10-Year-Old Boy Raises Fears Wuhan Virus Could Spread Undetected
The case of a 10-year-old boy who was diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus even though he showed no symptoms is raising concern that people may be spreading the virus undetected by the front-line screening methods implemented to contain the epidemic. The boy was part of a family who visited relatives in the central Chinese city over the New Year. While his parents and grandparents fell ill and were treated after they returned to their hometown, the 10-year-old appeared healthy and was only diagnosed with the virus after his parents insisted he too was tested, his doctors said, adding that he “was shedding virus without symptoms.” (Gale, 1/29)