President Xi warns virus spreading fast, China facing ‘grave situation’ January 25, 2020 at 12:39PM

President Xi Jinping said China was facing a “grave situation” as the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak jumped to 41, overshadowing celebrations of the Lunar New Year. Xi held a politburo meeting on measures to fight the “accelerating” outbreak, state television reported. Hong Kong too declared a virus emergency, and restricted links to mainland China.