China suspends public transport in Wuhan, confirms 571 cases of coronavirus

Most of the 700 Indian students studying medicine and other courses in around Wuhan city have returned home due to holidays.

China suspended all public transport, including flights, in and out of Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus as confirmed cases climbed to 571 and deaths from the disease rose to 17.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which is meeting in Vienna for emergency talks, will decide on whether the outbreak in China constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), like Ebola and Swine flu. Such a declaration, if made, will be seen as an urgent call for a coordinated international response in view of fears that millions of Chinese are travelling at home and abroad for the Chinese New