‘There’s No Sign That It’s Getting Better’: China Reels As Rest Of World Watches Its Coronavirus Response

The New York Times: Beijing Sees ‘Major Test’ As Doors To China Close And Coronavirus Deaths Surpass SARS
China’s Communist Party leadership called the month-old coronavirus epidemic a “major test” on Monday as other nations escalated efforts to isolate China, unnerving China’s stock market, depressing global oil prices and raising new anxiety about the world’s most populous country. The growing global move to effectively cut off China’s 1.4 billion people came as government officials reported the new coronavirus strain had killed more in mainland China, 425 as of Tuesday morning, than the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003, confirming it as one of the deadliest epidemics in recent Chinese history. (Wee, 2/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Outbreak A Major Test Of China’s System, Says Xi Jinping
Chinese leader Xi Jinping described the coronavirus outbreak rampaging through central China as a major test of the country’s system of governance, and vowed consequences for officials who shirk responsibility in tackling the crisis. The first virus-related death in Hong Kong was confirmed Tuesday, hours after the special Chinese territory announced it was tightening its borders with the mainland. City Chief Executive Carrie Lam has stopped short of a full border closure. (Li, Abbott, and Wang, 2/3)

Bloomberg: Xi Warns Virus May Impact China’s Stability At Rare Meeting
Chinese President Xi Jinping called on all officials to quickly work together to contain a deadly new virus at a rare meeting of top leaders, saying the outcome would directly impact social stability in the country. The effort to contain the virus directly affects people’s health, China’s economic and social stability, and the country’s process of opening up, he told a meeting of the Communist Party’s powerful Politburo Standing Committee on Monday. Leaders also urged officials “to achieve the targets of economic and social development this year” and “promote stable consumer spending.” (Marlow and Li, 2/3)

South China Morning Post: Coronavirus: China Says U.S. Action ‘Spreading Fear’ As Mainland Death Toll Hits 361
China has blamed the United States for spreading fears about the coronavirus and accused Washington of doing nothing to help contain the outbreak. The Chinese foreign ministry made the accusation on Monday, as the number of deaths in mainland China attributed to the coronavirus overtook the Sars epidemic of 2003. Mainland health officials also called on people to pay more attention to personal hygiene after traces of the coronavirus were found on surfaces such as a door handle. (Zhou, Wu, Pinchui and Wong, 2/3)

The New York Times: China, Desperate To Stop Coronavirus, Turns Neighbor Against Neighbor 
One person was turned away by hotel after hotel after he showed his ID card. Another was expelled by fearful local villagers. A third found his most sensitive personal information leaked online after registering with the authorities. These outcasts are from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, where a rapidly spreading viral outbreak has killed more than 420 people in China and sent fear rippling around the world. They are pariahs in China, among the millions unable to go home and feared as potential carriers of the mysterious coronavirus. (Mozur, 2/3)

CNN: Chinese Doctor Who Was Silenced Now Has Coronavirus
Li, a 34-year-old doctor working in Wuhan, the central Chinese city at the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, told his friends to warn their loved ones privately. But within hours screenshots of his messages had gone viral -- without his name being blurred. "When I saw them circulating online, I realized that it was out of my control and I would probably be punished," Li said. He was right. Soon after he posted the message, Li was accused of rumor-mongering by the Wuhan police. He was one of several medics targeted by police for trying to blow the whistle on the deadly virus in the early weeks of the outbreak. The virus has since claimed at least 425 lives and sickened more than 20,000 people globally -- including Li. (Xiong and Gan, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Cases Rise Above 20,000 In China As Hong Kong Reports First Death
Macau moved to shut its casinos and China injected more cash into its banking system on Tuesday, as the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus rose above 20,000 and Hong Kong reported its first death from the quickly spreading pathogen. Gambling center Macau, whose casinos rack up revenues that are more than six times that of the Las Vegas Strip, is closing casinos for two weeks because of the coronavirus, Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng said Tuesday. (Yang, 2/4)

CNN: Wuhan Coronavirus: Confirmed Cases Top 20,000 As China Marks Deadliest Day
China's National Health Commission said Tuesday that the death rate from the virus stands at 2.1% nationwide. The figure is higher for Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, at 3.1%. A spokeswoman for the commission said 80% of victims were over the age of 60 and 75% had some form of underlying condition. (Griffiths, 2/4)

The New York Times: Hong Kong Reports First Death From Coronavirus Outbreak
A 39-year-old man in Hong Kong died Tuesday from the new coronavirus, the city’s Hospital Authority said. The death from the outbreak was the first in Hong Kong, a semiautonomous Chinese territory that has had 15 confirmed cases, and the second outside mainland China. A man in the Philippines who was from Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the outbreak — also died from the coronavirus, Philippine officials said Sunday. (2/3)

The New York Times: Hong Kong Tightens Border As Medical Workers Call For Shutdown
Hong Kong’s government said Monday that it would close more border checkpoints, as some medical workers went on strike to demand a complete ban on entries from mainland China to limit the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s top official, has faced increasing calls from hospital employees, the business community and even some pro-government lawmakers to further tighten border controls with mainland China, where the virus emerged in December. (Ramzy and May, 2/3)

The Associated Press: North Korea Making 'All-Out Efforts' To Guard Against Virus
North Korea said Tuesday it was mobilizing 30,000 health workers everyday in its “all-out efforts” to guard against the spread of a virus from neighboring China. North Korea hasn’t reported any case of the new coronavirus, but some experts say an epidemic in North Korea could be dire because of its chronic lack of medical supplies and poor health care infrastructure. (2/4)

The Hill: Russia Warns Foreigners With Coronavirus Could Be Deported
Russia is warning that foreigners confirmed to have coronavirus may be deported from the country. Russian officials are determining the procedure for deportation of foreigners infected with the new mysterious virus, Russian news agency Tass reported Monday. "We are determining the place [of deportation] currently," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova told reporters Monday, according to Tass. (Klar, 2/3)

The Hill: Hong Kong Reports Second Coronavirus Death Outside Mainland China
Hong Kong has reported the second death caused by the new coronavirus outside of mainland China. The death comes as the number of confirmed cases of the deadly virus continues to climb rapidly in China and as countries around the world grapple with how to contain the disease. In announcing a public health emergency of "international concern" late last week, the World Health Organization said that the virus had spread to more than a dozen countries, including the United States. A 39-year-old patient died on Tuesday morning in Hong Kong from sudden heart failure after being diagnosed with the virus, the South China Morning Post reported. (Wise, 2/3)