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 With the death toll rising to 213, all of them in China, the United
States warned Americans not to travel to the Asian country, where
the outbreak first appeared in Wuhan, capital of the central Hubei
province.
Japan advised citizens to put off non-urgent travel to China, Iran's
health minister urged a ban on all travelers from China and Britain
reported its first two cases of the virus.
Singapore said it was suspending entry to travelers with a recent
history of travel to China and suspending visas for Chinese passport
holders. The ban, effective on Saturday, will also apply to those
transiting Singapore, a major travel hub.
Italy's government decided to declare a state of emergency and
stopped all air traffic with China after announcing its first cases,
in two Chinese tourists.
Stock markets steadied slightly after the WHO praised China's
efforts to contain the virus, following a tumble the previous day
over a rising toll on the world's second-biggest economy and its
global knock-on effect. [MKTS/GLOB]
The outbreak could "reverberate globally", hitting supply chains,
Moody's said, adding: "Global companies operating in the affected
area may face output losses as a result of the evacuation of
workers."
Hyundai Motor said it planned to halt South Korean production of a
sport utility vehicle this weekend to cope with a supply disruption
caused by the virus outbreak. Sangyong Motor said it would idle its
plant in the South Korean city of Pyeongtaek from Feb. 4 to Feb. 12
for the same reason.
Home appliance maker Electrolux issued a similar warning. Alphabet
Inc's Google and Sweden's IKEA have already suspended operations in
China.
"Do not travel to China due to novel coronavirus first identified in
Wuhan," the U.S. State Department said on its website, raising the
warning for China to the same level as Afghanistan and Iraq.
China has taken "the most comprehensive and rigorous prevention and
control measures", a foreign ministry spokeswoman said in response
to the WHO declaration. Hubei is in virtual lockdown.
"We have full confidence and capability to win this fight," Hua
Chunying said in a statement.
But people were leaving and entering Hubei by foot over a bridge
spanning the Yangtze river, a Reuters witness said.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had commended China
for its efforts and said the WHO was not recommending curbs on
travel or trade with Beijing. A WHO spokesman said keeping borders
open prevented illegal or unofficial border crossings.
The number of confirmed cases in China has risen beyond 9,800,
Beijing's envoy to the United Nations in Vienna said.
There have been no deaths outside China, although 131 cases have
been reported in 23 other countries and regions.
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The WHO has reported at least eight instances of human-to-human
transmission in four countries: the United States, Germany, Japan
and Vietnam. Thailand said on Friday it too had a case of
human-to-human transmission.
UNLOCKING SECRETS
Some airlines have stopped flying to mainland China, including Air
France KLM SA, British Airways, Germany's Lufthansa and Virgin
Atlantic. Others have cut flights.
Japan's ANA Holdings said it may consider suspending China flights,
media reported, after the airline said bookings for February flights
leaving China had halved.
Several foreign governments evacuating citizens from Hubei are
holding them in quarantine for the 14-day incubation period of the
virus.
A plane carrying Britons and other Europeans left Wuhan on Friday,
Britain's embassy said.
Japan, with 14 confirmed cases, said it would take special measures
against the virus, including compulsory hospitalization and the use
of public funds for treatment. It has sent three flights to bring
citizens home.
The first of four planned flights taking South Koreans home landed
on Friday.
China is trying to bring home its tourists stranded abroad, with the
state-run People's Daily saying two flights were sent on Thursday,
to Thailand and Malaysia.
At least 15 Chinese municipalities and provinces have asked
companies to extend the Lunar New Year holiday by a week, to Feb.
10.
China's statistics show just over 2% of infected people have died,
suggesting the virus is less deadly than the coronaviruses
responsible for the 2002-2003 outbreak of the Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and an episode of Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
But economists fear its impact could be bigger than SARS, which
killed about 800 people at an estimated cost of $33 billion to the
global economy, since China's share of the world economy is now far
greater.
With new cases being reported abroad, anti-China sentiment is
emerging in some places and manufacturers are scrambling to meet
demand for protective masks.
(GRAPHIC: Tracking the novel coronavirus - https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-MAP/0100B59S39E/index.html)
(Reporting by Brenda Goh in Shanghai, Muyu Xu and Cate Cadell in
Beijing, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Michelle Nichols at the U.N.,
and David Shepardson in Washington; Writing by Michael Perry and
Nick Macfie; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Timothy Heritage)
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