The death toll from China's coronavirus outbreak has surpassed 250, the government said on Saturday, as foreign nations tightened restrictions on travellers from China in response to the rapid spread of the illness.
At least 259 people have died and 11,791 people have been infected in China by the new coronavirus, according to new figures from China's health officials.
At least 259 people have died and 11,791 people have been infected in China by the new coronavirus, according to new figures from China's health officials.
Most of the latest fatalities are from Hubei province. The city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, is located in Hubei.
Another 17,888 people are suspected of being infected, while 243 have been discharged, according to a separate report by China's state-owned international channel, CGTN.
On Friday, it was reported that there were more than 102,000 people under medical observation.
Fresh cases have been detected abroad, with more than 20 countries now affected, including Spain and the United Kingdom.
The top Communist Party official in Wuhan, the central city of 11 million people where the virus first emerged in December, on Friday expressed "remorse" because local authorities acted too slowly.
Here are the latest updates:
Saturday, February 1
Uzbekistan to suspend flights to and from China
The government of Uzbekistan has instructed the state airline to suspend flights to and from China over the coronavirus epidemic, the cabinet said.
Charter flights will bring back Uzbek citizens if they wish to return, except from Wuhan, it said
Turkmenistan airline suspends Beijing flights
Turkmenistan Airlines, the Central Asian nation's state carrier, has suspended flights to and from Beijing, the company said.
The move was aimed at preventing the spread of the 2019-nCoV virus which has prompted many other nations to suspend travel links with China, the company said in a statement.
Iran bans flights to and from China
Iran is banning flights to and from China due to concerns over the spread of coronavirus, Health Minister Saeed Namaki was quoted by Iranian media as saying.
Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri stressed that the measure would only be temporary.
So far, there have been no confirmed casesof the deadly virus in Iran.
Vietnam suspends all China flights
Vietnam has suspended all China flights as part of "strengthening measures" against the coronavirus outbreak, its civil aviation authority said in a statement.
The directive applies to all airlines "which have routes between Vietnam and China", it added.
Vietnam Airlines, the country's national carrier, and budget airline Jetstar Pacific said they would stop flying to mainland China along with Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Bangladesh evacuates citizens from Wuhan
Bangladesh has evacuated 316 of its citizens, including 15 children, from the Chinese city of Wuhan, in a chartered plane of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the carrier's chief executive Mokabbir Hossain told dpa news agency.
Seven of the returnees were transported to a hospital shortly after their arrival in Dhaka, an airport health official said, adding that the rest of the evacuees will be placed in quarantine for two weeks at a location near the airport.
China asks EU to facilitate urgent medical supplies
China's Premier Li Keqiang has asked the European Union to facilitate China's urgent procurement of medical supplies from member countries, the Chinese government said.
Apple to temporarily close all China stores
Apple Inc said it has decided to shut down all of its official stores in mainland China until February 9 due to "recent public health and prevention considerations".
Apple did not immediately respond to a further request for comment.
'Children at risk' amid coronavirus outbreak
Children are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus outbreak, international aid group Save the Children said as it expressed concern over its spread in countries with weak healthcare systems and insufficient resources.
"While the Chinese government is taking effective measures to respond to this outbreak inside China, Save the Children is concerned about a potential outbreak in other parts of Asia where the healthcare systems won't be able to adequately screen for the virus or treat patients who have contracted it," Hassan Saadi Noor, the charity's Asia regional director, said in a statement.
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