纽约时报 新冠疫情威胁全球贸易(2)（在线收听）

The outbreak of the virus in Wuhan, a city that is home to 11 million people,

此次新冠疫情爆发于武汉——一座有着1100万人口的城市，

prompted the Chinese government to effectively quarantine the metropolis and much of surrounding Hubei province,

疫情爆发后，中国政府已封闭这座大都市及湖北省大部分周边地区，

barring people from moving around.

禁止人们四处走动。

Until now, the impact on factories was limited by the fact

截至目前，疫情对工厂的影响尚不严重，

that the outbreak was unfolding during the Lunar New Year, the most important holiday of the year.

因此次疫情爆发于本年度最重要的节日——农历新年之际。

Many businesses are closed during the holiday,

在此期间，许多企业都已停工，

while hundreds of millions of migrant workers return home to their families in the countryside.

数以亿计的农民工也都已返乡过年。

In a bid to keep people home and halt the spread of the virus,

为让民众在家隔离，阻止病毒传播，

the government extended the holiday through Sunday, adding three days.

政府已将假期延长三日，至周日结束。

But the fear of the virus is so widespread and intense that many workers are likely to remain away from factory towns this week.

然而，对此番病毒的恐惧早已深入人心，人人自危，恐不少工人本周并不会返城。

A frightening epidemic coinciding with a major holiday will almost certainly

此次疫情来得凶猛，又恰逢重大节日，由此一来，

spell a substantial loss of sales for China’s tourism and hospitality industries.

中国的旅游业和服务业势必出现严重亏损。

Hotels and restaurants that would normally be full of revelry are empty.

往年春节，各大酒店餐馆无不热闹非凡，今年却空无一人。

Concerts and sporting events have been canceled.

音乐会，体育赛事纷纷取消。

IMAX, the large screen film company based in Toronto,

总部位于多伦多的大银幕电影公司IMAX

has postponed the release of five films it had intended to showcase in China during the holiday.

也推迟了五部贺岁档影片的上映。

Even as the holiday officially ends, business is unlikely to return to normal.

即便周日假期正式结束，各行各业也不可能立即走上正轨。

Many major industrial areas — including Shanghai, Suzhou and Guangdong province —

不少大型工业区——如上海、苏州，广东省等地的工业区——

have lengthened the holiday by at least another week, preventing workers from returning.

都已将假期再度延长一周，阻止员工返工。

With flights to China limited and emergency public health restrictions in place,

由于飞往中国的航班有限，加之中国政府对内已经启动公共卫生一级响应，

the Chinese operations of multinational companies are likely to be constrained.

跨国公司或将无法正常开展在华业务。

Major banks, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase,

高盛，摩根大通各大银行

are directing that employees who have visited mainland China stay home for two weeks.

纷纷通知去过中国大陆的员工自行在家隔离两周。

General Motors last year sold more cars in China than in the United States.

通用汽车去年的在华销量已经超过美国本土的销量。

Its Chinese factories will be closed for at least another week at the request of the government.

应政府要求，通用在中国的工厂将继续关闭至少一周。

Ford Motor has told managers in China to work from home while its factories remain idled, said a company spokesman.

据福特汽车的一位发言人透露，该公司已通知在华管理人员停工期间在家办公。

All of this could play havoc with businesses that depend on China for components,

凡此种种，都会严重扰乱从中国购买零部件的企业的正常运营，

from auto factories in the American Midwest and Mexico to apparel plants in Bangladesh and Turkey.

无论是美国中西部和墨西哥的汽车厂，还是孟加拉国与土耳其的服装厂都概莫能外。

If customers cannot buy what they need from China, Chinese factories could, in turn,

他们无法从中国购入需要的产品，中国的工厂又会

slash orders for imported machinery, components and raw material —

缩减机械、零部件和原材料的进口订单——

computer chips from Taiwan and South Korea, copper from Chile and Canada, factory equipment from Germany and Italy.

如台湾和韩国的电脑芯片，智利和加拿大的铜，德国和意大利的工厂设备等。

“This could potentially disrupt global supply chains,” said Rohini Malkani,

“这样一来，整个全球供应链或许都会受到影响，”

an economist at DBRS Morningstar, a global credit rating business.

全球信用评级公司DBRS Morningstar的经济学家罗希尼·马尔卡尼评论道。

“It’s too early to say how long it is going to last.”

“但如此情形究竟会持续多久，现在下结论又为时过早。”