China's Hubei, epicentre of coronavirus outbreak, posts Q1 GDP slump

China's central Hubei province, the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak in the country, posted a 39.2% drop in economic output in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, weighed down by a slump in manufacturing.

The sudden outbreak of the new coronavirus has an unprecedented impact on the economic and social development of the province, with most economic indicators declining significantly in the first quarter, the Hubei statistics bureau said on Tuesday.