Latest on the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in China and beyond

Published Feb 14, 2020

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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.

Reuters

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