Sweet shop in Japan BANS Chinese people over fears they could be carrying deadly coronavirus

Sweet shop in Japan BANS Chinese people over fears they could be carrying deadly coronavirus

  • Sweet shop in Hakone in the Kanagawa prefecture displayed the sign outside 
  • It read ‘no Chinese allowed in the shop’ and ‘Chinese are banned from entering’
  • Owner, not been named, wrote he would ‘hate to have the virus scattered about’ 
  • Comes as the popular holiday destination confirmed its second coronavirus case

A Japanese sweet-shop owner has banned Chinese tourists from his store because he wants to ‘protect himself against the coronavirus’.

The sign with the heading ‘no Chinese allowed in the shop’ was put up outside the confectionery store in Hakone in the Kanagawa prefecture.

This comes as Japan – a popular holiday destination for Chinese tourists for the lunar new year – confirmed its second case of the coronavirus. 

A Japanese sweet-shop owner – in Hakone in the Kanagawa prefecture – has banned Chinese tourists from his store because he wants to ‘protect himself against the coronavirus’

China has gone into lockdown today and authorities and businesses are scrambling to shut tourist attractions and public transport systems across the country in a bid to stop the spread of the deadly new virus. Two cases have been confirmed in Japan

China has gone into lockdown today and authorities and businesses are scrambling to shut tourist attractions and public transport systems across the country in a bid to stop the spread of the deadly new virus. Two cases have been confirmed in Japan

The sign also says that ‘Chinese are banned from entering’ because the owner would ‘hate to have the virus scattered about (here).’

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE CORONAVIRUS?

Once someone has caught the virus it may take between two and 14 days for them to show any symptoms.

If and when they do, typical signs include:

  • a runny nose
  • a cough
  • sore throat
  • fever (high temperature)

The vast majority of patients – at least 97 per cent, based on available data – will recover from these without any issues or medical help.

In a small group of patients, who seem mainly to be the elderly or those with long-term illnesses, it can lead to pneumonia. 

Pneumonia is an infection in which the insides of the lungs swell up and fill with fluid. It makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and, if left untreated, can be fatal and suffocate people. 

The owner, who has not been named, is believed to have translated the words to mandarin using an app.

He told local newspaper Asahi Shimbun: ‘I want to protect myself against the coronavirus. I don’t want Chinese tourists to enter.’ 

The first cases of the coronavirus identified were among people connected to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China.

Wuhan, a city of 11 million, has been in virtual lockdown since Thursday, with nearly all flights at the airport cancelled and checkpoints blocking the main roads leading out of town. 

Authorities have since imposed transport restrictions on nearly all of Hubei province, which has a population of 59 million. 

A total of 41 people have died from the virus so far, of which 39 were in the central province of Hubei, where Wuhan is located.

The number of confirmed cases in China stands at 1,287, the National Health Commission said on Saturday.

U.S. coffee chain Starbucks said on Saturday that it was closing all its outlets in Hubei province for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, following a similar move by McDonald’s in five Hubei cities.

The virus has also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, Malaysia, France, the United States and Australia.

This comes as Japan confirmed its second case of the coronavirus. Pictured: Chinese tourists arrive at Narita airport

This comes as Japan confirmed its second case of the coronavirus. Pictured: Chinese tourists arrive at Narita airport

Chinese tourists are pictured outside the Narita airport in Japan. Japan is one of the most popular holiday destinations for Chinese people during the New Year

Chinese tourists are pictured outside the Narita airport in Japan. Japan is one of the most popular holiday destinations for Chinese people during the New Year

Australia on Saturday announced its first case of coronavirus, a Chinese national in his 50s, who had been in Wuhan and arrived from China on January 19 on a flight from Guangzhou. 

He is in stable condition in a Melbourne hospital. 

Experts have compared the coronavirus outbreak to the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). 

The epidemic started in southern China and killed more than 700 people in mainland China, Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk