Beijing, February 16: China's central Hubei province, epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, imposed a ban on all private vehicles on Sunday. The move is part of the "escalating prevention and control work", said the state-run Chinese press. The provincial government decided to bar all private cars from plying except those designated for emergency and relief services. Coronavirus-Hit China Regulates Cash Circulation, Begins Disinfecting Old Bank Notes to Curtail Spread of COVID-19.

The move to ban vehicles in Hubei comes amid mounting death toll across China. the number of fatalities, on Sunday, crossed the 1,600-mark with 142 more deaths reported in the South Asian nation within a span of 24 hours. Out of the 142 deaths, 139 alone were reported in Hubei province.

Update by China's Semi-Official Global Times

Hubei, where Wuhan is located, witnessed the first case of coronavirus in mid-December. The province is known for its varsities offering medical education, and has attracted scores of students from neighbouring India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Most among the student populace were evacuated after the virus outbreak was declared a national emergency.

A lockdown has been imposed in Hubei since January 23, in a bid to contain the spread of virus. Nearly 56 million people were sent for quarantine. Schools, colleges as well as professional establishments continue to remain closed till further government orders. However, newer cases are being constantly reported from the province.

The People's Bank of China had, on Saturday, also announced to quarantine the old bank notes of Hubei to curtail the COVID-19 outbreak. Fan Yifei, the central bank's deputy governor, told a press conference that the old notes in the province would be treated with ultraviolet rays for upto 14 days to disinfect them. To prevent a liquidity crisis, the bank would be releasing 600 billion yuan ($85.9 billion) of new cash for Hubei.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 16, 2020 03:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).