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China allows non-residents of Wuhan to leave virus centre

AFP, Beijing

Mon Feb 24, 2020 10:39 AM Last update on: Mon Feb 24, 2020 11:56 AM

Volunteers wearing protective facemasks, amid fears of the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, gather to disinfect a pedestrian bridge in Bangkok on February 24, 2020. The deadly coronavirus epidemic spread further outside China on February 24 as a surge of infections in South Korea made it the biggest hotspot abroad, while authorities in Europe and the Middle East battled to curb outbreaks. Photo: AFP/Mladen ANTONOV

Non-residents of Wuhan may leave the quarantined city at the epicentre of China's virus epidemic if they show no symptoms and have never had contact with patients, authorities said Monday.

Wuhan, a city of 11 million, has been under lockdown since January 23 after authorities shut down transport links into and out of the city in an effort to contain the new coronavirus outbreak.