Singapore has reported six more cases, including four domestic transmissions, taking its tally of infections to 24, the health ministry of the southeast Asian city-state said.
The outbreak has killed more than 420 people, spread round the world and fuelled fears for global economic growth, with rival financial centre Hong Kong reporting its first coronavirus death on Tuesday.
"Though four of these cases constitute a local transmission cluster, there is as yet no evidence of widespread sustained community transmission in Singapore," the health ministry said in a statement.
All four cases were linked to a health products shop that primarily serves Chinese tourists, the ministry added.
The other two infections were in Singapore residents evacuated on Thursday from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have surfaced late last year in a market selling illegal wildlife.
UK advisory
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told all Britons "who are able to leave China to do so". The government is advising against "all but essential" travel to the mainland.
WHO: No pandemic, yet
The WHO said the coronavirus hasn’t shown much mutation yet or caused a pandemic, with the strategy still to extinguish transmission. There are unknowns that remain about the virus and the agency expects to be able to give a better estimate of the severity of the disease in coming days, the WHO’s Sylvie Briand said at a briefing in Geneva.
Malaysia cases rise
Malaysia reported two new cases, including its first citizen to be diagnosed, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 10.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad told reporters that a 41-year-old Malaysian man, who went to Singapore for a business meeting that was also attended by Chinese nationals from Jan. 16 to 23, tested positive for the virus on Monday.
The others infected are Chinese nationals, including the second case that was confirmed on Monday, a 63-year-old man from Wuhan who arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Jan 18 and started showing symptoms five days later.
Second death outside China
A 39-year-old man who was infected died Tuesday morning at Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong, a Hospital Authority spokesman said by phone.
The fatality marks the first in Hong Kong, and the second death outside of mainland China. A 44-year-old Chinese male from Wuhan died in the Philippines on Feb 1. Hong Kong has 15 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
The man in Hong Kong, who had an underlying illness, hadn’t visited any health-care facilities, wet or seafood markets, and had no exposure to wild animals during the incubation period, according to a government statement on Jan 31.
Stocks rebound
Asian markets rallied Tuesday with Shanghai bouncing back as bargain-buyers stepped in after the previous day's rout, but trading floors remained anxious.
Investors tracked gains on Wall Street and in Europe following last week's rout, though focus remains on authorities' efforts to contain an outbreak.
Having dived nearly 8% on Monday, Shanghai stocks rose 1.3% — boosted by a central bank injection of almost $60 billion into the financial markets, which is on top of the $173 billion pumped in on Monday.
European shares also climbed on Tuesday, tracking a slight recovery in Chinese equities, while resource and mining stocks rallied after heavyweight miner Glencore maintained its 2020 production outlook.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 1% by 0900 GMT, having ticked up slightly on Monday after logging its worst week in six months.
Sluggish oil demand
BP Plc said the coronavirus outbreak threatens to wipe out a third of global oil-demand growth this year, a troubling prediction for prices already languishing at their lowest in a year.
“We see demand down on average for the year by 300,000 to 500,000 barrels a day,” BP chief financial officer Brian Gilvary said in an interview in London. That takes a large chunk out of the 1.2 million-barrel-a-day growth expected before the deadly virus hit, sapping fuel consumption.
Brent crude slid below $55 a barrel on Monday to its lowest close since December 2018. The rout is piling pressure on Opec and its partners, with leading producer Saudi Arabia pushing other members to take emergency action.
$2bn virus bond
China Development Bank plans to issue up to 14.25 billion yuan ($2 billion) of one-year special bonds on Thursday to raise funds to help tackle the coronavirus epidemic, two Reuters sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.
Korean tests positive after Thailand visit
A South Korean woman has tested positive for coronavirus after visiting Thailand, South Korean officials said on Tuesday, the first foreign tourist reported to have been infected after a visit to the country.
3,700 on cruise ship quarantined
Japan has quarantined a cruise ship carrying 3,711 people and was testing those on board for the new coronavirus after a former passenger was diagnosed with the illness in Hong Kong.
Eight people on the vessel, which arrived in Yokohama Bay on Monday, have symptoms such as fever, top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said.
China fires Red Cross official
Zhang Qin, vice head of the Hubei government-linked Red Cross society, was removed from his position for violations in receiving and distributing donations and faulty information disclosure, according to the local discipline commission.
Two other Red Cross officials were also punished, according to a statement.
Belgium confirms first case
Belgium reported its first case of coronavirus. The infected patient is a person repatriated from Wuhan, news agency Belga reported, citing health minister Maggie De Block.
Dim China's growth outlook
The outbreak of the coronavirus and China's efforts to stop the spread mean the economy will grow slower this quarter than first thought, according to economists.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc, UBS Group AG and Macquarie Group Ltd are among those cutting their growth forecast for the first quarter and full year. First-quarter GDP is seen slowing to 3.8%-4.8%.
Taiwan restricts travellers
Taiwan will ban the entry of foreigners who live in China or who have travelled to the mainland within a period of 14 days starting from Feb 7, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a briefing.
Residents of Hong Kong and Macau are excluded from the new measure.
Macau asks casinos to close
Shares of casino operators slumped as Macau asked them to temporarily close in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The proposal needs to be discussed with the industry, Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng said in a briefing. He added that the city would be able to afford the economic cost. This would be the first time casinos have closed since a typhoon in 2018.
Hyundai to halt Korea output
Hyundai Motor Co is halting production in South Korea this week because of a component shortage caused by the coronavirus, the first global automaker to suspend output outside China because of the outbreak.
The carmaker has been hit by a shortage of a wiring component made by a Chinese supplier, whose operations have been halted after a worker was infected by the virus, Hyundai Motor's labour union said. Production may resume from Feb 11 or Feb 12, a spokesman for the union said by phone.
