New coronavirus cases in China are continuing to fall as inspectors clad in protective suits go door-to-door in the epicentre to find every infected person.

Wuhan, where the new form of coronavirus known as Covid-19 emerged, is on the final day of a campaign to root out anyone with symptoms whom authorities may have missed so far.

“This must be taken seriously,” said Wang Zhonglin, the city’s newly minted Communist Party secretary.

“If a single new case is found (after Wednesday), the district leaders will be held responsible.”

Covid-19: confirmed cases
(PA Graphics)

His remarks were published on Hubei’s provincial website, alongside the declaration: “If the masses cannot mobilise, it’s impossible to fight a people’s war.”

Mainland China reported 1,749 new cases and 136 additional deaths.

While the overall spread of the virus has been slowing, the situation remains severe in Hubei province, whose capital is Wuhan.

Infections in Hubei constitute more than 80% of the country’s 74,185 total cases and 95% of its 2,004 deaths, according to data from China’s National Health Commission.

Cities in Hubei with a combined population of more than 60 million have been under lockdown since the Lunar New Year holiday last month, usually the busiest time of the year for travel.

Authorities put a halt to nearly all transportation and movement except for quarantine efforts, medical care, and delivery of food and basic necessities.

“Wartime” measures were implemented in some places, with residents prevented from leaving their apartments.

Workers wait for customers at an Apple retail store in Beijing, China
Workers wait for customers at an Apple retail store in Beijing (Ng Han Guan/AP)

The stringent measures have followed public fury over Hubei authorities’ handling of the outbreak when it began in December.

The risk of human-to-human transmission was downplayed, and doctors who tried to warn the public were reprimanded by police.

Wuhan residents reported overcrowding in hospitals and futile attempts to seek treatment.

Many countries have also set up border screenings and airlines have cancelled flights to and from China to prevent further spread of the disease, which has been detected in around two dozen countries and caused about 1,000 confirmed cases outside mainland China.

Five deaths have been reported outside the mainland – in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and France.

China’s top diplomat has arrived in Laos for an emergency meeting with counterparts from South East Asian countries, which have expressed alarm over the viral outbreak.

Foreign minister Wang Yi was expected to discuss the crisis with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the Laotian capital Vientiane, then hold broader formal talks the following day.

A woman wearing masks stretches her arms in Hong Kong
A woman wearing a face mask stretches her arms in Hong Kong (Kin Cheung/AP)

Six countries in the 10-nation bloc have confirmed cases of the new virus.

In Hong Kong, a spokesman for Princess Margaret Hospital reported the city’s second death out of 62 cases.

Media reported the victim was a 70-year-old man with underlying illnesses.

Iranian authorities confirmed two cases of the new coronavirus, the first in the country, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

Passengers began leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship after the much-criticised two-week on-board quarantine in Japan ended on Wednesday, with 79 more virus cases confirmed for a total of 621 – the most in any place outside of China.

South Korea evacuated six South Koreans and a Japanese family member from the ship, and they began an additional 14-day quarantine on Wednesday.

More than 300 American passengers were evacuated earlier and are being quarantined in the United States, including at least 14 who had tested positive for the virus.

A bus carrying the passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship leaves a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo
A bus carrying passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship leaves port in Yokohama, near Tokyo (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)

On Tuesday, the US government said the more than 100 American passengers who stayed on the ship or were taken to hospital in Japan would have to wait for another two weeks before they could return to the US.

Passengers from the MS Westerdam, another cruise ship, have tested negative for the virus, Cambodia’s Health Ministry said.

Seven hundred of the Westerdam’s passengers had already left Cambodia after the ship docked last week, only to have one woman test positive for the virus when she arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The discovery that the 83-year-old American woman harboured the virus caused the suspension of plans to send home the other passengers still in Cambodia.

The dispersal of those who had already left for various countries has caused concern that they might be undetected carriers of the virus, and health authorities in several nations were tracing them to take protective measures.

“Prevention and control work is at a critical time,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, according to Chinese state media.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the viral outbreak “is not out of control, but it is a very dangerous situation”.

Passengers from the cruise ship Westerdam take a photo of Cambodian dancers after their performance at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Passengers from the cruise ship Westerdam take a photo of Cambodian dancers after their performance at a hotel in Phnom Penh (Heng Sinith/AP)

He said that “the risks are enormous and we need to be prepared worldwide for that”.

Outside Hubei, other localities have imposed quarantine measures to varying degrees.

Residential neighbourhoods in Beijing have placed limits on the number of people per household who can go out, and those who do must carry exit-entry cards.

In Shanghai, police detained a man for 10 days for repeatedly leaving his house and taking public transportation when he was supposed to be under quarantine at home.

Despite such warnings, Beijing was showing signs of coming back to life this week, with road traffic at around a quarter of usual levels, up from virtually nothing a week ago.

While most restaurants, shops and office buildings remained closed, others had reopened.

China may postpone its biggest political meeting of the year, the annual congress due to start in March, to avoid having people travel to Beijing while the virus is still spreading.

One of the car industry’s biggest events, China’s biannual auto show, was postponed, and many sports and entertainment events have been delayed or cancelled.