China initially put secrecy and order ahead of confronting the coronavirus. In those weeks, the authorities silenced doctors and others for raising red flags and played down the danger. As a result, public health experts say, the Chinese government lost one of its best chances to keep the disease from becoming an epidemic. Now the virus has killed more than 300 people and infected more than 14,000 by Saturday. Australia and Japan joined the U.S. in temporarily barring foreigners who have recently visited China, and other countries are stepping up travel restrictions.

Source: New York Times February 02, 2020 12:45 UTC