FILE PHOTO - Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital, where the patients with pneumonia caused by the new strain of coronavirus are being treated, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China January 10, 2020. Picture taken January 10, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer

(Reuters) - The Chinese city of Wuhan, the source of an outbreak of a new flu-like virus, is closing its transport networks and advising citizens not to leave the city, state media reported on Thursday.

Bus, subway, ferry, and long-distance passenger transportation networks will be suspended from 10 am local time on Jan. 23, and the airport and train stations will be closed to outgoing passengers, state TV said.

The government is asking citizens not to leave the city unless there are special circumstances, state media said, citing the local government’s virus taskforce.