A medical worker from south China's Hainan Province rests by the window at the Wuhan pulmonary hospital on March 19 (Source: IANS)

According to official government figures, roughly 5 million people in China lost their jobs. The pandemic may have cost China as much as $196 billion because of the sudden halt in business activity.

Former International Monetary Fund (IMF) deputy managing director, Zhu Min, estimates that the tourism industry and consumer spending are the worst hit.

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