New coronavirus death toll climbs to 106 in China

At least 106 people have died from the new coronavirus in China and the cases of newly infected in the country have almost doubled, BBC reported today.

It said the number of total confirmed cases in China rose to 4,515 as of 27 January, up from 2,835 a day earlier.

The country has meanwhile further tightened travel restrictions to try to curb the spread of the flu-like virus.

The city of Wuhan is thought to be the epicentre of it but it has spread across China and internationally.

Wuhan, and the province it is located in Hubei, are already effectively in a lockdown with transport restrictions in and out of the area.

The coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and there is no specific cure or vaccine.

Most of the deaths have been of elderly people or those with pre-existing respiratory problems.

The outbreak of the virus comes during the Lunar New Year celebration which usually sees millions across the country on the move to visit relatives and friends.

Many of the new year festivities have been suspended and the holiday period has been extended by three days to Sunday, in an attempt to contain the spread.

On Tuesday, China's immigration administration encouraged citizens to reconsider the timing of overseas travel to reduce cross-border movement.

Beijing has stopped most of the bus services from neighbouring Hubei while both the capital and Shanghai have introduced a 14-day observation periods for people arriving from Hubei.

Of the 106 deaths in China, 100 were in Hubei province while the province's number of reported infections is at 2,714.

Authorities postponed the new semester for schools and universities nationwide, without giving a resumption date.

In Wuhan, travel from the city of 11 million people has been severely restricted and non-essential vehicles have been banned from the roads.

The city's mayor though said millions of travellers had already left the city ahead of the holidays and before the lockdown.

Across China, several major cities have suspended public transport systems, taxis and ride-hailing services.

The Disneyland attraction parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong have both been closed.