•BEIJING • Two provinces and four major cities in China will ban long-distance buses, the authorities said yesterday as they scrambled to contain a deadly virus that has spread across the country.
The eastern Shandong province will suspend long-distance buses entering the province, while China's northern Hebei province will shut all inter-province and inter-city buses, state broadcaster CCTV reported, following the announcement of similar measures in the cities of Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an. In Shandong, inter-city buses in the province will be allowed to leave only if stations have temperature screening measures.
From 6pm yesterday, Xi'an was to suspend long-distance buses and tourist chartered buses entering the city of 10 million people, local officials said. Inter-city taxis will be suspended, except those from the city's airport. The measures are to stop the spread of the virus through "passenger transport by road and taxis", officials said.
Beijing also announced the suspension of bus services entering and exiting its boundary from yesterday, and the northern city of Tianjin will suspend long-distance buses and chartered buses that enter and leave the city starting today.
The city of Shantou announced a partial lockdown yesterday, the first such measure taken outside the epicentre of the disease. However, the decision was later reversed.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
