Malaysia expands temporary China traveller ban as coronavirus spreads

Malaysia has expanded a ban on visitors from China to include Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, after China's decision to lock down cities in the provinces to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed over 800 lives.
 

The Southeast Asian nation on Jan. 27 imposed a temporary ban on travellers arriving from the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, and the surrounding province of Hubei.
 

Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the decision follows China's move to extend its lockdown to five cities in Zhejiang and two in Jiangsu.
 

China's Hubei province, where Wuhan is the capital, has been on lockdown since Jan. 23.
 

" travel restrictions will be enforced in accordance with the lock-down region imposed by the Chinese Government," Wan Azizah said in a statement on Sunday.
 

The restriction will be imposed on all tourists regardless of nationality who have visited Hubei, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, she added.
 

Malaysia has reported 16 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Saturday, two of which had been discharged after making a recovery.
 

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China has reached 811 as of Saturday, according to China's National Health Commission.