'Compulsory quarantine' on all arrivals to Hong Kong from mainland China – as it happened
Thousands on board Diamond Princess cruise ship in offshore quarantine in Japan after 10 people test positive, as China death toll passes 490. This blog is closed.
2.50pm GMT
Here are the main points from today so far:
2.36pm GMT
Turkey will now also be taking temperatures of all arriving airline passengers in new prevention measures aimed at halting the spread of a virus outbreak that has killed hundreds of people in China, AP reports.
Turkish health minister Fahrettin Koca said thermal cameras installed at Turkish airports would begin screening all arriving passengers Thursday. Previously, Turkey was screening travelers from China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Malaysia.
2.06pm GMT
The Department of Health said 468 people in the UK have now tested negative for coronavirus, according to a report by PA Media.
All the 1,500 people who arrived on direct flights from Wuhan in January have either left the UK or are now outside the 14-day incubation period for the virus.
1.51pm GMT
Rachael Maskell, the MP for York Central, has criticised the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak.
York Press reports that Maskell called on the Government to 'get a grip' after it emerged that the York student with coronavirus spent a night in student accommodation.
1.36pm GMT
Sean, who didn't want to give his last name, said it was "incredibly eerie in Beijing today". The 34-year-old manager of an English language school said there was heavy snow and few people on the street. "I worked from a cafe today, and was the only one inside."
He described the Foreign Office's advice to 'leave China' last night as "a huge over-reaction and disregard for expats that actually live here and call China their home".
1.25pm GMT
A Southampton student who went into isolation after feeling ill after returning from China has been given the all-clear from the new coronavirus, PA media reports.
Paramedics were sent to the Mayflower halls of residence at the University of Southampton on Monday to take the student to hospital after they contacted the NHS saying they felt ill.
Related: Coronavirus: what is self-isolation?
1.08pm GMT
Thousands of medical staff in Hong Kong have gone on strike in a bid to get the government to completely seal the border with mainland China, AP reports.
Hong Kong's hospital authority says 4,600 medical staff, mainly nurses, didn't turn up for work on Wednesday.
12.55pm GMT
Some Britons in China have been in touch with the Guardian to say they have no plans to leave the country any time soon.
Sharon Moan, a chemistry teacher who lives with her husband and two children in Shanghai, said she is baffled by the foreign office's advice.
12.40pm GMT
Israeli media is reporting around 15 Israeli citizens are on the cruise ship. The public broadcaster, Kan Radio, interviewed one of the Israeli passengers on board.
Q: Hello Nicole Ben-David. We're calling to ask how you guys are managing while stranded and in quarantine at sea.
12.30pm GMT
A hotel worker in the northern Italian city of Verona has tested negative for coronavirus.
The woman, who was isolated after coming down with a fever, is a member of staff at the same hotel where a Chinese couple being treated for the virus in Rome stayed for one night.
12.17pm GMT
Here's a report from Josh Taylor, a Guardian reporter based in Melbourne, that the Australian government is considering sending its citizens evacuated from Wuhan to isolated mining camps if Christmas Island reaches capacity for people being quarantined.
The home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, admitted there is the possibility that Christmas Island could reach capacity if the outbreak continues to spread. He said one option would be for people to share rooms, or potentially even open up other locations away from the rest of the Australian population.
Related: Coronavirus: 14th Australian case confirmed as Dutton says people could be sent to mining camps
11.55am GMT
Australia has confirmed its 14th case of the coronavirus.
Dr Jeannette Young, the chief health officer, said the latest case was the fourth confirmed positive test of novel coronavirus in Queensland. She said:
The 37-year-old man, a Chinese national from Wuhan (Hubei province), is currently isolated in the Gold Coast University hospital (GCUH).
The man is a member of the same tour group travelling with the previously confirmed cases - a 44-year-old man, a 42-year-old woman and an eight-year-old boy.
11.41am GMT
African governments remain under pressure from citizens to arrange their evacuation from China amid fears of the outbreak reaching the continent.
So far, most have resisted the calls but Kenyan officials have said they will evacuate 85 of their citizens who are under lockdown in Wuhan city, when restrictions on movements are lifted by Chinese authorities.
11.27am GMT
An Australian on a flight out of virus-struck Wuhan to Auckland has written for the Guardian on the stress of his evacuation.
He wrote:
I said my goodbyes to my grandparents at the house, they were holding back tears. My dad sent me into the airport. After he sat around for a few minutes I told him to go home, and I'll look after myself from there on.
There were a lot of us evacuating, with two or three other countries including us. Everyone's wearing masks, and it was nerve-racking being around so many people in such close proximity. Hearing about a lot of evacuations with confirmed cases of the coronavirus on the flight, it was definitely not ideal to be around so many people at the airport.
11.05am GMT
British nationals on holiday have spoken of their frustration and anxiety of not being able to return to their homes in China.
Gareth Gough, a teacher who lives in Shenzhen with his wife, got in touch to say they are both stuck in Thailand. "There is no certainty when or if we should return and all our stuff is in our apartment," he said.
10.54am GMT
Here's the Guardian's report on the luxury cruise ship carrying 3,700 quarantined passengers off the Japanese port of Yokohama, after initial results showed 10 passengers have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Diamond Princess has been prevented from sailing on Monday after an 80-year-old passenger who had travelled on the vessel late last month tested positive after he arrived home in Hong Kong, according to Japan's health minister, Katsunobu KatA.
Related: Coronavirus: cruise ship carrying 3,700 quarantined in Japan after 10 test positive
10.40am GMT
Hong Kong's leader has released more information on the recently announced quarantine for all those arriving from mainland China. Carrie Lam said all people entering the semi-autonomous territory from the mainland, including Hong Kong residents, will be required to undergo 14 days of quarantine because of the outbreak of the new virus, according to a report by AP.
Lam said the measure will take effect on Saturday to allow Hong Kong day travellers to make necessary arrangements. She added that two cruise ship terminals, including one where a ship is under quarantine, will be shut down.
10.26am GMT
There's been praise for the British embassy in Beijing, which is supporting the evacuation process. Paul Maloney, who works for the British Council in China, tweeted he was grateful the embassy was able to help evacuate his family, including his young son Theo, who needed an emergency passport in order to travel.
So grateful to @ukinchina for their Herculean effort to get my family home from China. They got us an emergency passport in half a day. So they could travel home. Theo's looking forward to see his Grandma now pic.twitter.com/yWvV5MQXQ9
9.44am GMT
AFP is reporting that travellers from mainland China will be forced to face "compulsory quarantine" when they arrive in Hong Kong.
#BREAKING All arrivals to Hong Kong from mainland China to face 'compulsory quarantine': leader pic.twitter.com/gUviN92VMZ
9.37am GMT
More readers have got in touch in response to the Foreign Office's advice urging UK nationals to leave China.
Liam Dutch, a 26-year-old teacher in Shenzhen, said he was "conflicted" about the British government's advice to leave China. "Many of us have spent a lot of time building new lives here, it is not simply a case of 'booking a flight home to then return at an unknown date'.
9.21am GMT
Stock markets have staged a rapid reversal in the last few minutes, after reports of an effective treatment for coronavirus. The reports remain unconfirmed.
The FTSE 100 is up by 0.5% at about 7,477 points, having previously been down by 0.3%. The Euro Stoxx 600 index, which measures large companies across Europe, is up by 0.5% for the day, having previously dipped.
9.02am GMT
Cathay Pacific has asked its 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave in the next few months as Hong Kong's flagship carrier reels from coronavirus outbreak, according to a report by South China Morning Post.
"I am appealing to each and everyone of you to help," said Augustus Tang Kin-wing, the company's CEO, in a taped video recording, adding the situation the company faced was "just as grave" as the global financial crisis of 2009.
8.36am GMT
8.14am GMT
The UK health secretary, Matt Hancock, said the government was expecting further cases in the UK. He insisted the government was "taking no chances" and adopting a science-led approach in its response to the outbreak.
In an unexpected announcement on Tuesday, the Foreign Office urged UK citizens to leave China because of the coronavirus. Asked how, logistically, Britons are expected to return to the UK, Hancock told BBC Breakfast: "There are still commercial flights available. The principle that we are taking is that we want to take no chances with this virus. We want to take a science-led approach."
7.59am GMT
Owen Moone, a British teacher in Shenzhen in Guangdong province, said he was stuck in Vietnam because his flight back was cancelled. The 34-year-old was on holiday in Vietnam for the lunar new year.
"Luckily it's a cheap country, but I only have a 30-day visa. I'm not sure when flights will be reinstated to Hong Kong or mainland China, but I need to return either to work or get my stuff," Moone said. "Part of me is tempted to go home or to Canada where my girlfriend is visiting family. Not sure when the situation will change as there is currently a lot of ambiguity and things are changing by the day."
7.42am GMT
The spread of a new coronavirus could throw "cold water" on the 2020 Olympics, senior organisers have warned.
Toshiro Muto, the chief executive officer, sounded a grave note speaking at a meeting with officials of the International Paralympic Committee, according to a report by AP. "I am seriously worried that the spread of the infectious disease could throw cold water on the momentum toward the Games," Muto said. "I hope that it will be stamped out as soon as possible."
7.33am GMT
I want to hear your news, experiences and questions about the Coronavirus outbreak. You can email me at aamna.mohdin@theguardian.com, or reach me through my Twitter profile, @aamnamohdin
7.21am GMT
Good morning, this is Aamna Mohdin taking over the blog from Martin Farrer.
LG has become the first major technology company to pull out of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) due to take place in Barcelona over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
LG Electronics is closely monitoring the situation related to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which was recently declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization, as the virus continues to spread outside China.
With the safety of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain.
7.11am GMT
That's about it from me for today. I'm handing our rolling coverage to my colleague Aamna Mohdin. Thanks for joining me. Here are the main points from today so far:
6.45am GMT
Economists have warned that the Chinese economy faces a severe hit in the first quarter of the year as huge parts of its manufacturing and service industries remain shut down.
"The inopportune timing of the outbreak around Chinese New Year, a time of increased transport and economic connectivity... as well as the lockdown of affected regions all add to the equation," Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics told AFP.
If the disruption fades soon, there is still a chance that employment and incomes will be relatively unaffected. In this case, consumer spending may simply be deferred temporarily, resulting in a strong rebound in domestic demand later this year, as happened with SARS. But the longer the outbreak drags on, the greater the risk of a hit to employment and a more permanent loss of output.
6.25am GMT
A third case has been confirmed in the Philippines. The WHO says a 60-year-old Chinese woman has coronavirus.
The Department of Health announced the third confirmed case of the 2019 novel #coronavirus in the Philippines.
The patient is a 60-year-old female Chinese national. pic.twitter.com/Us1IJDZGXi
6.20am GMT
Reuters has reported some fascinating detail about an international business meeting held in Singapore in Janaury that reveals something about the way in which the virus has spread around the world.
Officials in Malaysia said on Tuesday that its first citizen to be infected with the virus - a 41-year-old man - had attended the meeting that had also included several international delegations, some from China, Reuters says.
6.15am GMT
Peter Beaumont, a senior reporter on the our global development desk, has been looking at whether it's fair to criticise the World Health Organization for its handling of the crisis.
Critics have said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been guilty of doing China's bidding by not declaring the virus a world health emergency quickly enough. A smiling Ghebreyesus has been pictured in Beijing with Chinese president Xi Jinping leading to accusations that Beijing was not being pushed hard enough to come clean about the extent of the contagion. Beijing is a large donor to the WHO.
Related: The coronavirus lays bare the limits of WHO's health diplomacy with China
6.03am GMT
A new documentary Netflix series called Pandemic has been released with horribly appropriate timing.
It explores what can be done to tackle the spread of diseases such as Sars and swine flu. Our feature writer, Brigid Delaney, says it "moved her to tears".
Related: Pandemic: Netflix's new series about global outbreaks is eerily timed, and moved me to tears
5.49am GMT
Hong Kong health officials say 90% of passengers on the ship are Hong Kongers and that none have had contact with three mainland Chinese who developed symptoms of the virus while on board between 19 and 24 January.
Three passengers developed the virus after leaving Guangzhou on the ship on 19 January, Genting Cruise Lines, which owns the operator Dream Cruises, said. They disembarked in Vietnam for treatment and the ship returned to Guangzhou on 24 January.
World Dream's nightmare: the cruise with some 3,000 passengers/ crews on board arrived at Kai Tak cruise terminal at 8am and govt health staff have been checking their health conditions. No one has disembarked yet. #CoronavirusOutbreak pic.twitter.com/p4NDOT6P3f
5.29am GMT
Hong Kong's health department says 30 crew on the World Dream cruise ship docked in Hong Kong have symptoms of the coronavirus.
It added that department staff are conducting tests on 1,800 crew and passengers on board the ship.
5.00am GMT
Medical workers in Hong Kong have begun a third day of strike action over concerns that the city's government is not doing enough to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Hong Kong recorded its first death from the outbreak on Tuesday and has 18 confirmed cases, bringing more calls for the authorities to seal the last remaining routes in and out to the mainland.
4.53am GMT
The UK's Press Association agency has spoken to a British man in Wuhan who fears he contracted the virus at the end of November but is not sure how he will get out of the city.
So news of another evacuation flight may give hope to Jamie Morris, a 23-year-old teacher from New Tredegar in South Wales.
4.45am GMT
The Japanese foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, said on Wednesday that Japan would send a fourth chartered flight to Wuhan tomorrow to bring back about 200 passengers.
The passengers could include Japanese nationals as well as their Chinese spouses, Motegi told reporters.
4.34am GMT
Reuters reports that a Canadian man on a flight from Toronto to Jamaica falsely announced to passengers that he had the coronavirus, forcing the plane to return to the airport where he was arrested.
The incident occurred on Monday during a WestJet Airlines flight from Toronto to Montego Bay. The Boeing 767 was carrying 243 passengers.
4.19am GMT
The UK government is chartering a final flight to bring British nationals back from Wuhan.
After Britons in mainland China were controversially urged to leave the country, the Foreign Office said the plane was expected to leave in the early hours of Sunday morning local time and will land at RAF Brize Norton.
4.11am GMT
Passengers on another cruise ship are being tested for the virus.
World Dream, which is run by Dream Cruises, was denied entry to the southern Taiwan port of Kaohsiung aon Tuesday and docked in Hong Kong on Wednesday. All passengers and crew are undergoing health checks, Cable TV reported, according to Reuters.
3.56am GMT
3.56am GMT
The Chinese government continues to try to put a positive spin on the crisis that has seen millions of people forced to stay in their homes.
The state news agency Xinhua tweeted some suggestions today about how families can amuse themselves in the confines of their homes.
Having fun while staying indoors. Many Chinese people choose to stay at home as long as they can amid the #coronavirus outbreak pic.twitter.com/EozHps1GaY
Related: From gassy passengers to viral anthems: Beijing seeks to lighten mood amid crisis
3.31am GMT
The number of cases of novel coronavirus around the world has reached 24,505, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker site. The vast majority - 24,292 - are in mainland China with 213 around the world.
(Those figures from the university don't include the 10 on the Diamond Princess in Japan.)
3.20am GMT
The Carnival statement said the infected people will be taken ashore to Yokohama by the Japanese coastguard and taken to local hospitals. The ship will remain under quarantine off Yokohama for at least 14 days, as required by the ministry of health.
3.09am GMT
Two Australians are among the 10 people who have tested positive for coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, the cruise company Carnival have confirmed.
The other people infected are three Japanese, three from Hong Kong, one American and one Filipino crewmember.
3.00am GMT
Justin McCurry has been finding out more information about the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is being quarantined off the coast of Yokohama in Japan after an outbreak of coronavirus on board.
Ten people have tested positive for the virus out of 31 results that have come back so far from 273 tests.
We are now officially in quarantine. It appears that our quarantine is on board the ship, that we will not be taken off to a hospital. The 10 people that are affected, they are being taken off very soon by the local coastguard into a medical facility. We are to remain on board the ship and we are confined to our cabins.
The ship is like a ghost town, it's really weird. I went for a walk around a part of the ship that is normally really busy - the musicians were still out playing, but where there normally would have been crowds of people, I saw maybe 20. Even the shopping areas where it would be packed are empty.
2.42am GMT
In Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, the authorities are converting an additional eight buildings, including gymnasiums, exhibition centres and sports centres, into hospitals, the official Xinhua news agency has reported.
That's on top of three conversions already announced. Together the process will add an extra 10,000 beds to the city's hospital capacity. There have been 8,351 confirmed cases in the city, according to the Chinese news website TenCent.
2.23am GMT
The economic impact of the outbreak appears to be building. We've already heard about a widening lockdown in China, with Hangzhou being the latest city to restrict movement. That kind of measure will inevitably hurt the economy but foreign companies are also feeling the impact and deepening the effects by suspending operations in China and Asia generally.
1.59am GMT
The World Health Organization says there is a "window of opportunity" to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The WHO has declared the outbreak a global health emergency but it said on Tuesday night that the lockdown put in place by the Chinese government to limit the spread from the epicentre of Wuhan offered a chance to halt transmission.
While 99% of cases are in China, in the rest of the world we only have 176 cases. That doesn't mean that it won't get worse. But for sure we have a window of opportunity to act"
1.46am GMT
More on the Japanese cruise ship from our correspondent in Tokyo, Justin McCurry.
Tests for the virus have been carried out on 273 of the 3,700 passengers and crew on board the Diamond Princess after an 80-year-old man who had been on the ship last month tested positive when he arrived home in Hong Kong.
Japan confirms that at least 10 passengers aboard this cruise ship have been infected with the #coronavirus.
3,711 people were quarantined on board the Diamond Princess Monday after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong Jan. 25 tested positive for the virus. pic.twitter.com/2N36Pg9RFC
Japan's health minister, Katsunobu Kato, said only passengers and crew who had been in close contact with the infected man or were feeling unwell had been tested. Of the 273 people tested, 31 results had come back - and of those 10 had tested positive, Kato said. The 10 infected passengers, who include three Japanese nationals, are being transferred to a hospital.
It was immediately not clear if health authorities planned to test other passengers. Kato said the remaining passengers and crew would be required to stay on the vessel for 14 days - the maximum incubation period of the respiratory illness.
1.38am GMT
The suspension of flights by airlines into China has now spread to Hong Kong.
The two biggest carriers in the United States, American Airlines and United Airlines, said late on Tuesday US time that they won't fly in or out of the territory for two weeks.
1.09am GMT
Ten people onboard a cruise ship docked off the port of Yokohama have tested positive for coronavirus, the Japanese health minister said on Wednesday morning.
Hundreds more of the 3,700 passengers and crew on the Diamind Princess ship have been tested and are awaiting results.
12.58am GMT
Back to the Air New Zealand flight that left Wuhan on Wednesday morning. Radio New Zealand is reporting that one person was stopped from boarding the plane because they were found to be unwell after the screening process for passengers.
RNZ reports that New Zealand's foreign ministry said about 60 people who registered for the flight did not turn up at the airport.
12.50am GMT
Our reporter Ben Doherty is on Christmas Island where Australian evacuees are being taken for quarantining. There are 35 Australians on board an Air New Zealand plane that left Wuhan for Auckland on Wednesday morning local time, along with 100 New Zealnders, some Britons and also people from several Pacific nations.
The Australians will then be flown from Auckland to Christmas Island, which is on the other side of Australia in the Indian Ocean, making for a journey of 17,000km.
12.43am GMT
It's worth noting that the number of deaths in China rose by 65 from 425 on Tuesday to 490 today. That's an increase of 15.3% compared with a percentage increase of 18% the day before. So perhaps there are signs that the rate of fatalities is slowing. The number was closer to 30% on some days last week.
12.34am GMT
The latest figures show that 490 people have died in mainland China from the virus. According to the very reliable Johns Hopkins University tracker, there are now 23,680 confirmed cases in the mainland meaning the mortality rate from the virus is 2.07% nationally.
Of the deaths, 479 have now occurred in Hubei province where the capital, Wuhan, is the eipicentre of the deadly outbreak. There have been 16,678 confirmed cases in the province making for a death rate of 2.87% in the province.
11.55pm GMT
Welcome to our rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. I'm Martin Farrer and I'll start by outlining the main developments today:
Related: Coronavirus quarantine precautions around the world
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