Wuhan Put on Lockdown During Busy Holiday Travel Season

SHANGHAI–China on Thursday instituted a public travel ban-including flights, trains, and buses–in and out of Wuhan, a city home to 11 million people, in an attempt to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The travel lockdown for the city, ground zero for the outbreak, came just a day before China officially takes off a week for the Lunar New Year, the country’s most important festive occasion and a key shopping season. The holiday witnesses the world’s largest annual human migration with nearly 3 billion trips taken over the holiday last year, according to China’s ministry of transport. In place of a celebratory mood across the nation, traditionally marked by family and friends gathering to dine and swap gifts, officials have urged the public to stay away from crowded places and advocated for increased disinfecting and hygiene measures. The health scare spells bad news for the travel and restaurant sector and is likely to have repercussions for retailers, too. Retail staff across Mainland China at many international brands–including Coach, Gucci, Nike, Tod’s–regardless of whether there has been a confirmed outbreak in their city, have been instructed to don face masks. Nine mainland Chinese cities including Shanghai and Beijing, as well as Hong Kong and

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