February 2020

China has announced a drop in new virus cases for the third straight day, as state media released a speech by President Xi Jinping that indicated the country’s leadership was aware of the potential gravity of the outbreak far before the Chinese public was informed.

In the early days of the epidemic, which has been one of the biggest political challenges of Xi’s tenure, the president seemed to play a muted role, partly fuelling criticism of the government’s approach to the outbreak. But during a speech Xi delivered February 3, which was published by state media on Saturday,

The United States has begun evacuating its citizens from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been docked at Japan’s Yokohama port for more than a week in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Forty US nationals found to have been infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus will remain in Japan for treatment, a US health official said.

The evacuation came as the death toll in mainland China jumped past 1,600 and officials imposed a vehicle ban in Hubei province, where the virus originated in the capital. Wuhan.

Taiwan reported its first death from the disease while