Singapore, Jan. 24 -- While on his way to the railway station to catch a 3.30am train out of Wuhan yesterday, Singaporean Eric Kng got a surprising alert on his phone: The city would be quarantined, and all public transport would cease at 10am.
His train to Shenzhen, nearly empty at the odd hour, would be one of the last few to leave ground zero of the virus outbreak that has killed 17 and infected more than 630.
The Chinese government announced before Chinese New Year's Eve that all outbound flights and trains from Wuhan would be suspended in a bid to contain the spread of the virus which has already reached at least five other countries, including Singapore.
Public buses and subway and ferry services in the city have also ground to ...