Australia extends ban on visitors from China

Australia on Thursday announced a ban on travellers from China would extend for at least a week beyond Saturday's planned deadline, as the death toll from the coronavirus soared.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government would maintain "entry restriction on foreign nationals who have recently been in mainland China" for further week "to protect Australians from the risk of coronavirus".

A decision to extend the ban further will be taken week-to-week, he said.

The decision is a blow to Australian tourism operators who have seen business from