Death toll rises to 80 as China extends holiday

The number of people killed in China by the coronavirus has risen to 80, with almost 3,000 confirmed ill.

The national new year holiday has been extended by three days to Sunday, in an attempt to contain the spread.

On Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and centre of the outbreak.

The number of deaths in Hubei province has climbed from 56 to 76, with four deaths elsewhere.

Wuhan is in lockdown and several other cities have imposed travel bans.

The overall number of confirmed cases in China is 2,744. State media say more than 300 are critically ill.

At least 42 cases have been confirmed abroad, including in Thailand, the United States, and Australia.

There have been no deaths outside China.

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

Most deaths involve elderly people or those with pre-existing respiratory problems.

Travel from the city, home to 11 million people, has been severely restricted and non-essential vehicles have been banned from the roads.

At the Hubei border, workers are checking people's temperatures before allowing them into the province.

The emergency has overwhelmed Wuhan's hospitals. More than half a million medical staff have joined prevention, control and treatment operations in the province.

On Monday, Chinese Premier Li inspected the ongoing efforts, and spoke to patients and medical staff, a government statement said.

Two new makeshift hospitals are being built in the city and factories are rushing to produce masks and protective clothing.

The city's mayor Zhou Xianwang said the number of cases would continue to rise, and warned that around five million new year travellers left the city before the lockdown.(BBC)