Corona outbreak spreads, 12 under observation in Kannur, 80 dead in China, spreads in US and Taiwan

BEIJING: China said on Monday that the death toll from a deadly viral outbreak spiked to 80 as the hard-hit epicentre province of Hubei suffered 24 new fatalities, while total confirmed cases nationwide rose sharply to 2,744. While there were no new deaths confirmed outside of Hubei, the national tally of verified infections rose by 769, around half of them in Hubei, the National Health Commission said. It said 461 of those infected were in serious condition.

Meantime, the health department will monitor 12 persons who returned from China to Kannur. 12 including some members of a family belonging to Peravaoor will be under observation for 28 days. The move comes as the coronavirus spreads in China.

Originating in Hubei's capital of Wuhan, the virus has spread throughout China and across the world -- with cases confirmed in around a dozen countries including as far away as the United States. President Xi Jinping has called the accelerating spread of the virus a grave situation. As many as 43 cases have been reported from other countries with the US confirming the fifth case on Sunday. Eight cases have been reported from Thailand which is the highest.

Drastic travel restrictions have been imposed outside the epicentre, with Shandong province and four cities -- Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Tianjin -- announcing bans on long-distance buses entering or leaving. The populous southern province of Guangdong, Jiangxi in central China, and three cities made it mandatory for residents to wear face masks in public.

China banned wildlife trade across the country, prohibiting the shipping and sale of wild animals and quarantining breeding sites, with the government warning against the consumption of wild animals.