Japan’s health ministry has been “inundated” with phone calls from worried members of the public after the country’s first case of the new coronavirus originating in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Health authorities in Wuhan in central China have diagnosed 41 people with the coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV , including one who has died. Japan’s confirmation of the second infection outside China, following a case in Thailand , came just days before the busy Lunar New Year, which is a peak period for Chinese tourists travelling abroad, placing officials across Asia on high alert . “The press statement went out at 10am this morning and the phones immediately started ringing,” a ministry official said. The man, a Chinese national in his 30s who lives in Kanagawa Prefecture south of Tokyo, visited Wuhan and began to experience symptoms including fever and fatigue as well as difficulty breathing around January 3, Wuhan officials said. He returned to Japan three days later and was admitted to hospital on January 10. His condition was reported to local health authorities but he was released after five days, displaying no further signs of infection. Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) on Wednesday confirmed the man had contracted the coronavirus. The man told Japanese health authorities he did not visit the now-closed Huanan seafood market identified as the source of the infection. The Chinese woman diagnosed in Thailand earlier this week also did not visit the market, the South China Morning Post confirmed , raising fears she may have contracted the virus at another location in Wuhan, although the World Health Organisation on Tuesday said there was “no evidence” of human-to-human transmission. Wuhan virus: how the search for the source of the mystery illness unfolded In Japan, the case has fuelled concerns about a repeat of the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) , which killed 774 people in 37 countries, including more than 600 in mainland China and Hong Kong. However, authorities have said the new virus is unlikely to lead to such a deadly outbreak. “I can’t not go to the shops or not take my son to school, so I will have to come into contact with other people at some point in my day, so that is a worry,” said Kanako Ooko, a housewife from Kanagawa Prefecture. “The best thing I can do is to wear a mask and hope that this case was an isolated thing. I remember the Sars outbreak a few years ago and that was really frightening. I hope this doesn’t become as bad as that.” In 2019, some 723,600 mainland Chinese visited Japan – that figure was expected to be eclipsed this year. Health officials throughout Asia have also expanded precautions to coincide with the peak travel period around Lunar New Year. “The ministry has instructed quarantine officials at points of entry to be more vigilant for people who display signs of infection as they arrive and to improve their surveillance of passengers,” the health ministry official said. Wuhan virus: Asia battens down for Lunar New Year rush “We are stepping up quarantine procedures and instructing people who are coming into Japan from China to declare themselves if they have any symptoms associated with the illness and to immediately undergo a medical exam if they feel unwell.” Under protocols introduced more than 15 years ago during the Sars outbreak, foreigners arriving in Japan will be urged to visit a medical facility if they feel unwell. The NIID will also act as the central diagnostic centre. Japan Airlines has introduced its own measures aboard aircraft arriving in Japan from other parts of Asia . “Our head office is attempting to gather as much information as possible on the illness, although at the moment the details remain quite unclear,” spokesman Mark Morimoto said. What we know about the new virus and how you can stop yourself getting sick “We have started issuing announcements on our flights for anyone who feels unwell to contact quarantine officers as soon as possible. We’re being very proactive in this situation and making sure those announcements are repeated very frequently.” A spokesman for the Narita Airport Authority said it has stepped up announcements about the illness in the airport and has installed new signs in multiple languages advising anyone who feels ill to seek medical treatment throughout its terminals. Elsewhere in Asia, health officials have been stockpiling protective gear, preparing isolation beds and even boarding trains to individually screen passengers to contain the virus. Vietnam’s Ministry of Health on Thursday confirmed two Chinese visitors from Wuhan were placed in isolation after arriving in Da Nang on Tuesday with fever-like symptoms. Meanwhile, Indonesia has beefed up its screening of inbound travellers at airports and seaports, focusing particularly on passengers travelling from China via Singapore to the holiday islands Batam and Bintan. “Chinese New Year is coming up so we will heighten monitoring because there is usually a surge of Chinese visitors entering the region,” a spokeswoman for Kualanamu Airport in Medan told The Jakarta Post . Thermal scanners have been installed at all entry checkpoints across the country to screen the temperatures of visitors, the health ministry said. Wuhan virus: Thailand confirms first case of virus outside China In Thailand, authorities earlier this week confirmed the first case of the coronavirus outside China when a woman from Wuhan was admitted to hospital in Nonthaburi, near Bangkok. She was admitted upon arrival with symptoms including fever, a sore throat and a headache. About 800,000 visitors from China were expected to visit the country over Lunar New Year, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand. The Public Health Ministry would continue monitoring four Thai airports where daily flights arrive from Wuhan – Suvarnabhumi, Don Muang, Chiang Mai and Phuket – while adding Krabi airport in Thailand’s south. “Usually there are 1,200 arrivals [every day] from Wuhan in Thailand, which can go up to 1,500 to 1,600 during Lunar New Year, so we will increase personnel,” said Dr Sopon Iamsirithaworn from the ministry’s Department of Disease Control. “Currently, officers are working 24 hours in three shifts of five to six. “We have coordinated with Air Asia and China Southern Airlines to prevent passengers getting on board the planes, on direct flights from Wuhan, if they show signs of sickness.” Santisuk Klongchaiya, Thai AirAsia CEO, said the low-cost carrier would continue to monitor the situation but said travel to and from Thailand had not yet been affected by cases of the virus. Singapore was also on high alert but Terrence Voon from the Singapore Tourism Board said there had been “no cases linked to the Wuhan pneumonia cluster”. “Temperature screening has been implemented at Changi Airport for inbound travellers arriving on flights from Wuhan, and suspect cases will be referred to hospitals for further assessment and isolated as a precautionary measure,” he said. Singapore’s ministry of health said suspect cases with fever and acute respiratory illness or pneumonia, and with travel history to Wuhan within 14 days before onset of symptoms, would be isolated as a precautionary measure to prevent transmission. Last year in February, the month of the Lunar New Year, there were 339,550 Chinese visitors to Singapore. Australia’s Department of Health said it would continue to monitor the situation closely in collaboration with state and territory officials. Additional reporting by Dewey Sim, Xinghui Kok Purchase the China AI Report 2020 brought to you by SCMP Research and enjoy a 20% discount (original price US$400). This 60-page all new intelligence report gives you first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments and intelligence about China AI. Get exclusive access to our webinars for continuous learning, and interact with China AI executives in live Q&A. Offer valid until 31 March 2020.