Coronavirus Updates: China’s Hubei province extends work shutdown again

Hubei, the Chinese province hardest hit by the coronavirus, has on Thursday extended shutdowns in the region, telling businesses to not resume work before February 21.

Authorities said that school reopenings have been also postponed, yet did not specify a date.

A shakeup is occurring among senior ranks in the virus epicenter of Hubei, amid harsh criticism on how officials there have managed the outbreak.

Therefore, China’s military decided to send 2,600 additional medical personnel to Hubei to help primarily with coronavirus control efforts in Wuhan, state news broadcaster CCTV reported early Thursday.

The first batch of 1,400 personnel arrived in Wuhan on Thursday, the report said, adding the military has dispatched a total of three batches of more than 4,000 medical personnel.

Shanghai’s mayor Ying Yong will replace Jiang Chaoliang as party secretary of Hubei province, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday.

It was a decision made by the central committee of China’s Communist Party, Xinhua added.

The Party Secretary of Jinan, Wang Zhonglin, is also expected to replace Ma Guoqiang, the party secretary of Wuhan municipality.

Source: CNBC