Hong Kong implements coronavirus quarantine

Hong Kong will put travelers from China under a 14-day quarantine, officials announced Wednesday. The territory has 21 confirmed coronavirus cases. Health workers there are still on strike, calling for officials to shut down Hong Kong’s borders with China to stop the outbreak from spreading further.

How has the virus affected travel? It has left several cruise ships with international passengers in a bind. Japan placed 3,700 people under a two-week quarantine after they disembarked a cruise ship with 10 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Hong Kong is screening more than 1,800 passengers on a Dream Cruises ship after some crew members reported fevers and other symptoms. The virus has infected more than 24,500 people around the world and caused at least 490 deaths in China as of Wednesday.

Dig deeper: Listen to an interview with physician Charles Horton on the global threat of the virus on The World and Everything In It.