China's President Xi visits Wuhan as number of new coronavirus cases tumbles

A man wearing a protective face mask is seen on a crossroads as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in Shanghai, China March 9, 2020.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, on Tuesday, the first time he has done so since the epidemic began and a sign that Beijing believes its control efforts are at a turning point, as new cases tumble.

His arrival in the city, where the virus is believed to have first taken hold late last year, comes after its spread in mainland China has sharply slowed in the past week and as attention has turned to preventing imported infections from overseas hot spots such as Iran, Italy and South Korea.