The announcement by the Communist Party leadership came as the government was applying familiar authoritarian techniques — like asking neighbors to inform on one another — to help control an outbreak that had killed 427 people as of this morning, all but two in mainland China.

Many people from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, are desperate for treatment, but the government’s approach has led many to be ostracized. Experts warn that the approach could further damage public trust across China, and send people who should be screened and monitored deeper underground.

Context: The death toll from the new coronavirus has exceeded that of the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003 in mainland China — and the impacts on the global economy may prove more severe. Still, the number of people who have recovered nationwide has been rising, suggesting that the new virus’s fatality rate is relatively low.

Hong Kong: The semiautonomous Chinese city, which recorded its first death from the outbreak today, shut all but three of its border checkpoints on Monday. But more than 2,500 medical workers went on strike to demand a fully closed border.

Map: The disease has been detected in every Chinese province and in least 23 other countries. Most cases involve people who traveled from China.