The total number of confirmed cases is now at more than 4.5 1000.

Several countries, including France, Japan, South Korea and Morocco, have said they will evacuate their citizens from disease stricken areas.

Russia, too, has closed a large part of its border with China over fears of the virus spreading.

Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, has been outlining measures that include restrictions on high speed train and ferry services.

One of the keys to controlling the epidemic is to substantially reduce the flow of people between the two places.

In other words, we're not just talking about mainland visitors to Hong Kong, but also Hong Kong travelers to the mainland, and the number of commuters must be reduced substantially both ways.

Let's get more on this and talk to our correspondent in Shanghai world.

Been Brandt Robin.

Welcome to you.

Tell us more about what the Hong Kong authorities have been saying about their attempts to stop it spreading there.

Well, these are pretty draconian measures, aren't they to try to further prevent the spread of this type of Corona virus from the mainland to Hong Kong.

Remember, Hong Kong is a place an economy certainly already on its knees after a sustained period of protests there.

Hong Kong is in recession, but nonetheless it's going even further in restricting access by people coming from the mainland.

These people visiting for personal reasons, Andi it's cutting off access through high speed rail on other land and sea borders as well.

So I think one estimation is that it's cutting off access to about 80% off the routes from the mainland into Hong Kong on its mainland shoppers in particular, who account for a sizable chunk of the spend in Hong Kong.

But nonetheless the authorities there feel the need to go ahead with these restrictions.

They don't want to see a repeat of SARS similar to this we think, which happened back in 2000 and two some 18 years ago, which ended up taking lives in Hong Kong and having a significant economic impact.

They're a swell.

So what you have is one significant part of China, the country as a whole cutting itself off from the mainland, this evening in an effort to try to stop the spread of this virus.

The epicenter of this outbreak, of course, the province of Wuhan, where most of the deaths have taken place from victims of this virus.

What are officials there saying?

How are they coping?

But Wuhan is the city at the center of the province of who bay.

And you're right.

It is the epicenter of this outbreak.

What?

There are two sides to this, Really?

You know, the national government in Beijing is throwing all it can at the medical and relief effort by sending a military personnel thousands of medical personnel as well.

You know, we see much talk about how they're building hospitals in a manner of in a matter of days.

There are gonna be 10,000 extra hospital beds available very soon.

We're told by officials in who Bay Province this morning.

But at the same time, they revealed their still struggling with some of the basics.

When it comes to logistics, the basics, but very important, they can't get testing kit.

There isn't enough of that.

There is enough protective clothing for medical professionals either the doctors and nurses who are treating these people, so that shows you that they are facing challenges on a simple logistical level.

But this is very important in terms of trying to contain the spread.

Meanwhile, Russia is announced they're closing a large part of their border as well.

With China, it seems like hour by hour we're seeing more and more countries putting up restrictions, an attempt to protect themselves.

You're right.

I mean Mongolia Yesterday, which has that massive land border that stretches from west to east up in the north.

North Korea earlier in the week had done this.

Now Russia as well on do you know?

Despite appeals from the Beijing government at an urgent meeting of foreign diplomats in Beijing yesterday to not arrange evacuations off some of their citizens, you know the list grows South Korea.

Frantz, which believes it has up to 1000 nationals in Wuhan, is looking at trying to get those out as well.

Efforts by the US and the UK continue India as well.

Eso All of these countries do think it is important.

Do you think it's necessary to try to remove their citizens who are currently kind of stuck stranded in Wuhan at the moment?

I can't Robin Brunt in Shanghai for now.