All rail links between Hong Kong and China will be severed as officials frantically try to halt to spread of the deadly new coronavirus. Chief Executive Carrie Lam—who has achieved worldwide notoriety for her handing of the city’s pro-democracy protests—announced Tuesday that the high-speed rail station and regular train station that connect Hong Kong to the mainland will be closed by the end of the week. Lam wore a protective face mask while delivering the announcement. The Hong Kong government has also closed some of its offices and said nonessential public employees will be allowed to work from home. Meanwhile, Russia on Tuesday closed off crossings at three Far East regions bordering China until Feb. 7. The extreme measures came after China confirmed the death toll the viral disease rose by 25 to at least 106 on Tuesday. The U.S. consulate in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the disease broke out, announced that it will fly its diplomats and some other Americans out of the city on Wednesday.
