China virus toll: 1,600

THE DEATH toll from the new coronavirus outbreak surpassed 1,600 in China on Sunday, with the first fatality reported outside Asia fuelling global concerns.

More than 68,000 people have now been infected in China from a virus that emerged in central Hubei province in December before spreading across the country and some two dozen countries.

Amid criticism over the handling of the crisis, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for tighter policing to protect social stability, while Beijing ordered people returning to the capital to self-quarantine for 14 days in the latest drastic measure aimed at containing the virus.

An 80-year-old Chinese tourist died from the new coronavirus, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said Saturday.

Only three other deaths have been recorded outside mainland China -- in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan.

The death toll in China, meanwhile, rose to 1,662 Sunday after Hubei reported 139 new deaths.

Several countries have banned arrivals from China and major airlines have cut services to the country.

The biggest cluster outside China is on a quarantined cruise ship off Japan, with 285 infections now as dozens more cases were confirmed.

A US State Department spokesperson said Americans stranded on the vessel would be evacuated, and would face a further quarantine of two weeks in the United States.

- More police The virus spread last month as millions travelled across the country for the Lunar New Year holiday, which was extended by three days -- more than a week in some cities -- in an effort to prevent further contagion.

People have slowly started to return to work in the past two weeks, though many are doing their jobs from home and schools remain closed.

Beijing’s municipal government enacted a rule on Friday requiring all people coming to the capital to quarantine themselves for 14 days, warning that violators would be punished, according to official media.

It was unclear how authorities would enforce the measure.

Chinese authorities have placed some 56 million people in Hubei and its capital Wuhan under quarantine, virtually sealing off the province from the rest of the country in an unprecedented effort to contain the virus.