Passengers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the Coronavirus as they arrive on a flight from Asia at Los Angeles International Airport, California, on January 29, 2020.
Mark Ralston | AFP | Getty Images
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7:30 am: China says confirmed cases of coronavirus climbs to nearly 10,000
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has risen to 9,782 in mainland China, according to Chinese authorities. The new cases in China bring the global total to nearly 10,000 cases with at least 213 deaths. England’s chief medical officer also confirmed the first two cases of the coronavirus in the UK, less than 24 hours after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global emergency.
6:50 am: Singapore bans Chinese travelers
Singapore’s health ministry has banned entry to all Chinese visitors and foreigners with a recent history of travel to China. The move, which effectively shuts out the island’s largest group of visitors, takes effect Saturday. It is the first Southeast Asian country to implement a travel ban to Chinese travelers to contain the outbreak. The announcement comes after the U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory on Thursday for China from Level 3 to Level 4, citing the coronavirus outbreak in that country. The State Department only flags a handful of countries as Level 4, its highest warning “due to a greater likelihood of life-threatening risks.”
