Chinese people in Sheffield wear masks to protect against coronavirus

Carina Xu said she flew in from Hong Kong on Monday and she was very worried about the disease.

“I’m wearing a mask because of advice on the internet. My whole family is worried.”

Freya Yang said she was wearing it as a precaution - but also to keep warm.

Freya, a Sheffield University student, added: “Our government informs us to be careful. Poeple at home are wearing masks and being careful. Mine is partly for that but also against the cold.”

Yuanyu Guo said: “We know there’s no one in England to get the flu, so we don’t worry too much about it.”

Friend Yijun Chen said she was wearing a mask to guard against the virus “to some extent.”

More than 100 people have died in China, with confirmed infections up to more than 4,500.

Wuhan, the city at the epicentre of the outbreak, is on lockdown.

Hong Kong has announced plans to slash cross-border travel between the city and mainland China as the new coronavirus continues to spread. High-speed trains and ferries that cross the border will be suspended from Thursday, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced.

Sheffield’s Chinese community is ‘panicking’, a community leader has revealed.

Attendance at Monday’s Chinese New Year celebrations at Sheffield City Hall was down, from 2,000 to 1,500, with the number of Chinese falling from 1,000 to about 300, according to organiser Jerry Cheung.

Events in Cambridge and Birmingham were cancelled, he added.