Chinese Mystery Disease Update No 6: 2nd city shut down: 20 million quarantined: 3rd city closes train stations: incubates in a person for 5-to-10 days: Thousands walking around not knowing they are sick

Passengers don masks in a subway in Wuhan on Wednesday amid an outbreak of pneumonia. ZHOU GUOQIANG/FOR CHINA DAILY

The virus is now spreading at an alarming rate. The problem here is the Chinese, through no fault of their own have closed the stable door after the horse has bolted. Before officials quarantined Wuhan, millions of people were coming and going, Wuhan was shut down yesterday but this is the problem, the coronavirus is known to incubate in a person for 5-to-10 days, sometimes even 24 days. The cat is already out of the bag, literally, thousands will be affected, and people will be walking around for days before they even realise they are sick.

Huanggang is the second city to shut-down as authorities try to halt the spread of the newly-discovered virus. With a population of more than seven million people, it's a major population centre. The city is situated about 70km from Wuhan, which was the first city to be put on lockdown, that means nearly 20 million people are now quarantined. Reuters reports there have been 12 cases there up to the end of Monday. For residents of Huanggang, the bus and train networks will be closed at the end of Thursday, local time (five hours from now). Citizens have been asked not to leave by other means, either. And in the city itself, normal life is set to be disrupted, as public spaces like cinemas and cafes will be shut. Another city, Ezhou - a city of a million people across the Yangtze river from Huanggang - said on Thursday it had shut its train stations.

Wuhan doctor: 'I'm scared'

A doctor at a hospital in the city spoke to the BBC: The virus is now spreading at an alarming rate. The hospitals have been flooding with thousands of patients, who wait hours to see a doctor - you can imagine their panic. The virus is now spreading at an alarming rate. Normally Wuhan is a great place to live and we are proud of our work - specialists here have developed a guide for coronavirus diagnosis and treatment. But I am scared because this is a new virus and the figures are worrying. Two days ago we were told not to go to work because of the risk of contamination. If we leave our home on the hospital campus, we are required to wear masks. Two days ago we were told not to go to work because of the risk of contamination. If we leave our home on the hospital campus, we are required to wear masks. We don't want to take our two-year-old son outside. He's sleeping now, and we are trying to protect him as much as possible - hand-washing, airing the apartment, avoiding contact with people. Outside I can barely see anyone on the streets. We have been told to avoid gathering. I went to the supermarket to buy food, but there was nothing left - no vegetables or biscuits. BBC

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