HONG KONG (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) – Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday (Jan 28) the high-speed rail service between the city and mainland China would be suspended from Jan 30, and all cross-border ferry services would also be suspended in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Wearing a green face mask, Mrs Lam told a press briefing the number of flights to mainland China would also be halved and personal travel permits for mainland Chinese to the city would be suspended.

Meantime, China will stop individual travellers to the territory while closing some border checkpoints and restricting flights and train services from the mainland, Mrs Lam said.

The new measures mark a step change in China’s measures to contain the virus, after it effectively locked down about 50 million people in Wuhan and Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak. The latest moves expand travel restrictions to an Asian financial hub where many of the world’s biggest banks and companies have their regional headquarters.

“We have start with the source,” Mrs Lam said. “This should greatly reduce visitors from China.”

Other disruptions to global businesses, travel and the world’s second-largest economy are growing. China has extended the Chinese New Year holiday, while companies are shutting stores and evacuating workers.

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