BEIJING -- Hong Kong's leader has announced that all rail links to mainland China will be cut starting Friday as fears grow about the spread of a new virus. China's increasingly drastic containment efforts began with the suspension of plane, train and bus links to Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. There were 1,771 new cases confirmed in China on Monday, raising the national total to 4,515, according to the National Health Commission. China has reported eight cases in Hong Kong and five in Macao, and more than 45 cases have been confirmed elsewhere in the world. The coronavirus family includes the common cold but also more severe illnesses such as SARS and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

Source: Fox News January 28, 2020 10:30 UTC