Here are the latest developments around
the coronavirus outbreak:
* China reported 5,090 new cases in mainland China,
including more
than 120 deaths, taking the number of infected to 63,851, and
the number of deaths to 1,380.
* The Chinese capital Beijing on Friday imposed a 14-day
self-quarantine on people returning to the city from holidays to
prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, and threatened to
punish those who failed to comply.
* A World Health Organization-led mission to China will
start its
outbreak investigation this weekend.
* In Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, daily
new
cases jumped by 4,823, while number of new deaths rose by 116.
* Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday the ruling
Communist
Party must fix various problems, loopholes and weaknesses
exposed during the outbreak, state television reported on
Friday.
* Egypt confirmed on Friday its first coronavirus case and
said
the affected person was a foreigner who had been put into
isolation in hospital.
* Japan confirmed its first death from the virus on
Thursday. This
is the third death outside mainland China — the Philippines and
Hong Kong have reported a death each.
* Japan has vowed to step up testing and containment
efforts.
Total confirmed cases in the country rose to 33, with another
218 on the cruise ship quarantined at a port in Yokohama.
* The Philippines has lifted a travel ban that was imposed
on
visitors from Taiwan, and will evaluate other restrictions
including those on Macau, government officials said on Friday.
* Vietnam is monitoring more than 5,000 Chinese workers who
returned to the country after the Lunar New Year holiday for
signs of coronavirus, state media reported on Friday. On
Thursday, it also quarantined a rural commune of 10,000 people
near Hanoi.
* Vietnam has denied two cruise ships permission to dock due
to
fears of coronavirus infections on board, Vietnamese state media
and a cruise operator reported on Friday.
* Passengers on the cruise ship that spent two weeks at sea
after
being turned away by five countries over virus fears started
disembarking in Cambodia. It docked in the port town of
Sihanoukville on Thursday.
* Many cruises in Asia are being cancelled while others
currently
sailing are being re-routed, skipping originally scheduled stops
in China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
* Hong Kong on Friday pledged handouts totalling HK$25
billion
($3.2 billion) to the Hospital Authority and businesses
grappling with the coronavirus outbreak.
* Asian shares edged up on Friday, on course to post the
second
straight week of gains, helped by hopes governments will make
provisions to soften the impact on their economies from the
coronavirus epidemic.
* China's economy will grow at its slowest rate in the
current
quarter since the financial crisis, a Reuters poll showed.
* The epidemic could shave up to 0.2 percentage points off
Japan's
economic growth this year, another Reuters poll showed.
* Pakistan's Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on
Health
confirmed that four Pakistani students that had developed
coronavirus disease in China were fully recovered now.
* Pangang, one of China's top titanium
producers,
halted production at its unit in Chongqing after members of
staff were found to be infected with the new coronavirus.
* Shell said on Friday it had sent some staff home
from
its main Singapore office after it identified an employee who
had been in contact with a coronavirus case.
* KLM, the Dutch arm of Air France KLM, offered a
public
apology on Friday after a crew member sparked online outrage by
posting a sign in Korean saying passengers on a recent flight
were not allowed to use a toilet because of the coronavirus.