BEIJING: China said on Tuesday that 106 people had died from the coronavirus that is believed to have originated in the central city of Wuhan and is spreading across the country. The previous death toll, on Monday, was 81. The number of confirmed cases increased from 2,835 on Monday to 4,515 on Tuesday, according to the National Health Commission. The youngest confirmed case is a 9-month-old girl in Beijing.
Most of the cases have been confirmed in the central Chinese province of Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, where several cities, including Wuhan, have been placed under what amounts to a lockdown. Of the total cases, 2,714 are in Hubei.
Thailand has reported 14 cases of infection; Hong Kong has eight; the United States, Taiwan, Australia, and Macau have five each; Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia each has reported four; France has three; Canada and Vietnam have two; and Nepal, Cambodia, and Germany each have one. There have been no deaths outside China.
Hong Kong on Tuesday implemented a broad series of restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus by limiting the number of mainland Chinese travelers entering the territory, one of Asia’s busiest travel and financial hubs.
The restrictions, which included the suspension of high-speed and other train services between Hong Kong and the mainland, a 50 percent reduction in the number of flights, and a ban on tourist visas for many travelers, were announced by Carrie Lam, the city’s chief executive.
The regulations, which apply to some plane, rail, bus and ferry arrivals, will begin at midnight Thursday. They follow days of increasing pressure from health care workers, epidemiologists and even pro-Beijing politicians who have traditionally supported Mrs. Lam’s government.
Previously, the Hong Kong government said restrictions would apply only to Hubei residents and to non-Hong Kong travelers who had visited that province in the past 14 days.
