It is a city now and lock down as it battles to contain a new virus never seen in humans before.

But it emerged just hours ago that before the authorities introduced measures to stop the spread of the novel Corona virus, five million people managed to leave and China's National Health Commission said today the viruses ability to transmit was getting stronger from starting one.

From our observation, the disease can be spread during the incubation period.

The incubation period last for 10 days, the shortest one day the longest is 14 days.

Officially, 56 people have died so far on more than 2000 have been infected, mostly in the Hu Bei province.

Many experts, however, believe those numbers unlikely to be far higher and there remains uncertainty about the path this virus will take.

One of the potentially hopeful things about this infection is that certainly from the early case reports that we've seen, people don't tend to have the runny nose and sleaze ing and sor throat symptoms, which are often for many respected infections.

The first things that actually in the most efficient ways of spreading the infection.

Those who venture out wear masks and people are stocking up while they can.

Nobody knows how long the quarantine imposed by the authorities will continue.

The pneumonia like illness is caused by this new form of Corona virus, but it's not clear where it has come from.

One theory is that it started and bats.

They harbor Corona viruses before jumping into mammals, possibly wild animals being sold at Wu Han Fish Market and from them it moved into humans.

Today, the Chinese authorities announced a temporary ban on the trade of wild animals, threatening to severely investigate and punish anyone who violates this.

This is just one of a raft of desperate measures to try and contain the outbreak.

Transport links to Wuhan have been cut off.

Driving in the city's downtown has been banned.

Instead, 6000 taxis will help people move around, and a lot down has been extended to surrounding cities.

50 million people are affected, while Wuhan remains the epicenter with the largest number of cases.

There are patients across China now, and it has spread to Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia as well as to the United States, Australia, France and now Canada, where a man in his fifties who traveled from Wuhan has tested positive.

Three countries have now said they will get their citizens out of Wu Han, but the Foreign Office here has said it is still looking at all options.

This morning, they sent out an advisory on the travel advisory to say that basically, we advise against all travel to who bay on anybody that's in who baked to get out now.

To me, that shows a huge lack of understanding on the situation here.

We cannot get out of the city.

We cannot get out of who they there is no vaccine and no antiviral treatment.

So it's facemasks millions off hm, suddenly at the forefront in the efforts to fight this virus.