While the authorities increased their efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly avirus in China, 40 million people were quarantined.

China also announced further transport restrictions. President Xi Jinping said China is facing a "grave situation" as the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak jumped to 42. 

Celebrations of the Lunar New Year that began on Saturday have been cancelled.

With more than 1,400 people infected worldwide, most of them in China, Hong Kong declared a virus emergency, scrapped celebrations and restricted links to mainland China.

Each person infected with coronavirus is passing the disease on to between two and three other people on average at current transmission rates, according to two separate scientific analyses of the epidemic.