This is the new normal, very few people on the streets and the usually crowded public transport system all but empty.

Like here in Shanghai, every passenger is stopped and every passenger screened for signs of the Corona virus.

It's fine.

Our temperature was taken, both getting on and off the train.

Everyone has a mask on.

I feel relieved.

It may look like a country grinding to a halt, but this is China's response to a mass public health emergency.

One week after these drastic measures were introduced, the numbers off infected still keep climbing up.

People are anxious.

They prefer to stay at home on DDE, not to go out on the streets or where a mask when they go out on the streets.

This here is a major tourist destination.

Usually, this area is quite busy with people walking around having snacks, sightseeing.

Now people prefer staying at home.

Nobody really knows whether the measures the government has taken will be able to contain the virus.

So people are taking their own measures off.

Precaution on that means minimizing social contact as much as they can elsewhere, a lack of basic necessities and information are eroding confidence in the authorities.

In Hong Kong, people have been queuing since 2 a.m. hoping to buy face masks.

The Hong Kong government should do like Macau's and say every resident can only buy 10 pieces.

That way, every single Hong Kong person could have a face mask to wear.

Right.

C'mon go your hotel, your mama!

As the second plane load off repatriated Japanese nationals touched down in Tokyo, it caused some to wonder what this type of outbreak could look like if it happened during the Olympics here in July.

Take it as a wake up call for us to take precautions against an outbreak like this, especially towards the Olympics.

Yes, Japan is naive.

I think Japan should step up measures in South Korea.

The government is building a containment facility for those infected people here.

Fear for their safety.

Theo, governor in minister should come here and try to find a point of compromise.

What are they doing bringing troops here?

Are we in a battle thistles?

Such nonsense.

They're really creating a mood of fear In South Korea, as in many other countries, some residents feel the government's response to the crisis has lacked the apparent intensity and clarity of China's.

All right, let's get some analysis on this story.

Now we can speak to a virologist, Ian Jones, from the University of Reading in England.

Hi, Ian.

Good to have you here on DW.

I would ask you about the raft of measures that we've seen countries take to try to contain this outbreak.

Multiple countries evacuating their citizens from affected areas, we've seen China shutting down or locking down entire cities.

Is this the right approach to stop this from spreading?

It's the right approach.

At the current time, time will tell whether or not it's been effective in either stopping or slowing the progress of the virus.

I think as the numbers continue to rise, it looks increasingly like ae likely that this will become a pandemic and will eventually spread around the world.

We've seen as you said, this is spreading.

We've seen first cases reported in the Philippines, in India, these air densely populated countries in How worrying is that to you?

If we look at the efforts now to try to contain the spread?

Yes, it is worrying for two distinct reasons.

One is as you say, These are very dense populations, so the opportunity for transmission among people is much higher than it would be in a low population density country.

But in addition to that, he's there areas of the world which also have quite a high burden of respiratory disease, particularly things like TB and until the virus gets there, we really don't know what to expect in terms of the severity of the infection in those target populations, you said this could become a pandemic.

How dangerous is this virus in comparison to other diseases?

Other outbreaks we've seen like SARS in 2003 for example, it's certainly lost much less serious than SARS.

The case fatality rate facades was around about 10%.

Currently, this is running around 2%.

That is still pretty high.

It would at that number it would be almost like the Spanish influenza at the early part of last century.

However, if it's true that there are many more infected people than the confirmed cases than the actual fatality rate is somewhat lower than that and Maur like a seasonal influenza, which perhaps could be coped with more easily by the existing health resources.

The World Health Organization is set to decide today whether they should declare this a global health emergency.

Should they do so.

I mean, what would that change or whether they should do so or not?

Depends on them.

And the data that they have a hand, which I don't have, I would guess, perhaps that on this occasion they didn't on the last occasion.

But on this occasion they will consider it a global health emergency that's been sufficient spread internationally.

I think on what that would do is just mobilize more resources with alert barriers, up country boundaries and maybe alert health care systems that they need to put mitigation process is in place.

All right.

Ian Jones speaking to us from the University of Reading in England.

Thank you for your insight.