More Chinese cities issue travel restrictions to contain coronavirus spread

More provinces and municipalities are restricting the entry of cars and suspending public transportation in a bid to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In the southern city of Shantou, Guangdong Province, all buses, shuttles, taxis, ridesharing cars and ferries were halted starting from 2 p.m. local time Sunday, according to a notice issued by the city’s disease control officials.

It will also ban all vehicles, ships and people from entering or leaving the city starting from Monday, except for permitted emergency vehicles. People arriving at the train stations will be screened and urged to return to their place of origin.

The northwestern city of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province announced on Sunday that it would suspend all inter-provincial and inter-city long-distance bus services, as well as taxis and ride-hailing operations, from 6 p.m. local time on Sunday. All tourism-related charter bus rental services will also be suspended.

Shandong Province announced a similar measure on the same day, suspending all inter-provincial shuttle buses, with inter-city buses subject to strict disinfection and ventilation. It said all inter-city buses are required to check the passengers’ temprature upon boarding the bus.

In Shanghai, four cruise operators have canceled trips starting from ports in Shanghai and offered refunds. Passengers are also able to choose other dates this year as an alternative to a full refund.