BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2020) The Chinese capital of Beijing has decided to cancel all mass celebrations, including traditional temple festivals, in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak, the city's government said on Thursday.
It announced that the government's culture and tourism department intended to do everything possible to prevent and control the spread of the virus, putting the people's health and happiness first, and intended to limit mass gatherings to guarantee a calm and happy New Year, which will be celebrated on January 25 as per the lunar Calendar.
"Starting today, all major events, including temple fairs, are canceled," the government said in a statement.
The government's press service confirmed to Sputnik the statement's veracity.
The unknown type of pneumonia was first detected in Wuhan in late December. Chinese experts later tentatively determined that this was a new strain of the coronavirus, currently being labeled as 2019-nCoV or Novel Coronavirus.
As of earlier in the day, there are 571 confirmed cases in China and 17 recorded deaths. Confirmed cases have also been recorded in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.
Precautionary measures have been taken in both Wuhan, which has banned residents from leaving the city, and airports across the world.
