A shopper in Wuhan, China, examines produce at a vendor's stall on Jan. 31, more than a week into the quarantine of the city brought on by the outbreak of a potentially-deadly coronavirus. The economic blow to the provincial capital will be substantial, especially as the quarantine lingers, and could reduce Chinese economic growth by as much as 1.5 percent, some estimates show.
Editor's Note: This Stratfor analysis examines the potential economic impacts of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak; be on the lookout for further pieces on specific sectors in the days ahead. The coronavirus outbreak that has thus far killed scores and sickened thousands in China is set to deliver a significant blow to its already-weakening economy. Quarantines and travel bans enacted to limit the spread of the illness have disrupted what is usually the country's busiest travel and spending periods of the year, the Lunar New Year holiday that began Jan. 25. Public transportation, including trains, planes and ferries in and out Hubei province, whose capital, Wuhan, was the epicenter of the outbreak, have been suspended, curtailing the freedom of movement for some 60 million people.
