At least 18 economies have restricted entry to travellers from China while more than 20 airlines are suspending or reducing flights to the country as coronavirus infections continue to soar, with almost 10,000 confirmed cases and 213 deaths as of Friday afternoon. Twenty-three countries and territories besides mainland China have reported cases of the deadly virus since it was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan last month, with cases of human-to-human transmission confirmed in the United States, Japan, Vietnam, Germany and Taiwan. Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) has cautioned against drastic restrictions on travel and trade involving China, countries including the US and Japan have warned their citizens against visiting the country, with others expected to follow suit. Other jurisdictions have slapped restrictions on the entry of Chinese nationals. ‘How Wuhan coronavirus spread anti-Chinese racism like a disease through Asia The carriers that have suspended select routes or reduced flights to China include Singapore Airlines and its budget unit Scoot, SilkAir, Jetstar Asia, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Delta, KLM, Air India, IndiGo, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic, Finnair, Turkish Airlines and Lion Air. British Airways, Lufthansa and Kenya Airways have suspended all flights to the mainland, while Japan’s ANA said it might need to consider such a move. HONG KONG AND MACAU Hong Kong has sealed six of its 14 border crossings with the mainland as part of efforts to reduce the number of people arriving. Visitors from Hubei – the central Chinese province of which Wuhan is the capital – and people who have visited the area are banned from entry. Flights to and from the mainland have been halved, while Beijing has stopped issuing permits for mainlanders travelling individually and in tour groups to Hong Kong. An estimated 200,000 to 300,000 Hongkongers who returned to the city from the mainland since the Lunar New Year holiday have been advised to stay home for 14 days and wear a mask when going outside, with those returning from Hubei province asked to approach the Department of Health for assessment. Macau has banned the entry of Wuhan and Hubei residents without a medical declaration stating they are not carrying the virus. All other visitors to the city are being required to fill out health declaration forms. More than 100 flights to the mainland and Taiwan from Macau have been cancelled. TAIWAN Taiwan initially banned anyone from Wuhan and Hubei province travelling to the island, and earlier this week Taipei issued a near blanket ban on Chinese tourists, though business travel is still permitted. India’s homeopathic ‘cure’ for coronavirus ‘immature and irresponsible’ SINGAPORE Singapore has banned visitors with passports issued in Hubei province, as well as those who have travelled there within the past 14 days. Recent travellers to the province who are already in the country face mandatory quarantine. Passengers on all flights into the city state will undergo temperature screenings, with health care teams on standby for all arrivals from China. Teachers and students returning to Singapore from China have been directed to take a 14-day leave of absence. MALAYSIA Visitors from Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province have been banned, with the Malaysian home minister on Thursday revealing that 14 Chinese nationals from Wuhan were turned away earlier this week after they arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo, has suspended all flights to and from China. THE PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered a ban on the arrival of Chinese nationals from Hubei province, following the earlier suspension of visa-on-arrival privileges for Chinese. Filipinos have been advised to avoid non-essential travel to China. Charter flights between Wuhan and the Philippine island of resort of Boracay have been suspended. VIETNAM Vietnam has ceased issuing tourist visas for Chinese citizens from virus-hit areas – including those with residency in Hong Kong or Macau – except for emergencies, while suspending all flights to and from affected regions. Authorities have also announced that visitors with high fever or who are suspected of being infected could be stopped from entering. MYANMAR Myanmar on Friday sent a plane back to China with 79 passengers on board after one man suspected of contracting the coronavirus was taken to hospital. No cases of the pathogen have been reported in the Southeast Asian nation, which shares a border with China. One Chinese passenger was taken to a hospital in Guangzhou after displaying possible symptoms of the virus, said civil aviation department manager Soe Paing. Two Myanmar nationals were also allowed to disembark and taken to the same hospital for checks, Soe Paing added. “The rest of the people on the flight were sent back.” ‘Corona beer virus’ searches surge as China coronavirus spreads SOUTH KOREA Authorities are requiring all arrivals from China to fill out a health declaration form and have issued a “red alert” advising citizens against travel to Wuhan and Hubei province. UNITED STATES The State Department has issued a Level 4 alert, its highest-level warning, against any travel to China. Non-emergency personnel at its embassy in Beijing and consulates in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang have been granted permission to depart the country. US carriers including United Airlines and Delta have cut hundreds of flights. AUSTRALIA The government has asked Australians to reconsider travel to China and avoid all travel to Hubei. JAPAN Japan has advised its citizens against non-essential travel to China, and all travel to Hubei province. Immigration authorities have said that anyone deemed to have the virus can be denied entry. INDIA India has asked its citizens to avoid all travel to China. Air carrier IndiGo has suspended its Delhi-Chengdu and Bangalore-Hong Kong routes from February 1 to February 20, while Air India has cancelled its Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai flight until February 14 and has cut the frequency of its Delhi-Hong Kong flights from daily to three times per week until the same date. Japan bans coronavirus infected after outcry over lax response PAKISTAN Pakistan has halted flights to and from China until February 2, with its aviation secretary saying the situation will be reviewed after that date. NEPAL The country has sealed its Rasuwagadhi border crossing with China until mid-February as part of efforts to contain the outbreak. NORTH KOREA North Korea has suspended all flights and trains to and from China. Pyongyang also announced that all foreigners arriving via China will be placed in quarantine for one month. KAZAKHSTAN The Central Asian nation has stopped issuing visas to Chinese citizens and cut all major transport links with China over the outbreak. MALDIVES The island nation of the Maldives, which welcomes 284,000 Chinese tourists every year, has banned direct flights from China. The ban will affect the national carrier, as well as three Chinese airlines operating five daily flights to the country. MONGOLIA Mongolia has closed its border with China to cars, temporarily shut schools and suspended all public events. Wuhan coronavirus: Duterte under pressure to ban Chinese tourists after Philippines confirms first infection PACIFIC ISLANDS The Marshall Islands has banned all travellers originating in or transiting through China, while the Northern Mariana Islands has banned all travellers from the Asian nation. Samoa has also banned travellers from countries affected by the outbreak. PAPUA NEW GUINEA The country has shut air and seaports to all foreign travellers coming from Asia, and closed its only land border, with the Indonesian-controlled province of West Papua. Papua New Guinea residents returning from Asian countries will be held in quarantine for 14 days. SRI LANKA Chinese tourists will now have to apply online for a visa in order to visit, instead of being able to get one on arrival. ITALY Italy plans to ban all flights from China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, in a moratorium lasting three months, according to a notice to pilots filed by Italy air traffic control provider ENAV. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday that the country would stop all air traffic to China, without giving details. The action is the first by a European country. An advisory notice to pilots posted on the US Federal Aviation Administration’s website said “on the request of the Italian health authorities” all flights to and from China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan “are forbidden” from February 2 until April 28. The ban will mostly affect mainland Chinese carriers and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific, which operates 10 flights a week to Rome and Milan. Rome also has air links with nine mainland Chinese airports, including Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. Asked whether Italy’s measure is discriminatory, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the government has adopted a similar measure of cancelling flights before Rome made the decision. “To reduce transport services and create inconvenience would be acceptable under the WHO’s standards, but what we talked about (closure of border) was different,” she said. Her response came minutes after Singapore announced its closure to mainland Chinese citizens. RUSSIA Russia has closed its border with China and has stopped issuing electronic visas to Chinese nationals. GUATEMALA Guatemala is imposing travel restrictions on people who have recently been in China. Anyone who has been in China in the previous 15 days will be prevented from entering the country. Purchase the China AI Report 2020 brought to you by SCMP Research and enjoy a 20% discount (original price US$400). 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