Beijing authorities have decided to cancel mass events in the city on the occasion of the Chinese New Year due to an outbreak of pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus, DW reported referring to Bejing News.

As reported earlier, the country's authorities decided to isolate the second major city. Neighboring Huanggang and the city of Ezhou have also had a number of services shut down. The city market, cinemas and Internet cafes will also be closed. Authorities urged residents to leave the city only in extreme cases.

Earlier Thursday, the same decision was made regarding Wuhan, where an outbreak of a new type of pneumonia began in late December. The population of Wuhan exceeds 11 million people. Huanggang is located 70 kilometers from Wuhan.

A total of 620 people fell ill with this type of pneumonia, 17 of whom died in China.