REUTERS
March 7, 2020 at 16:30 JST
HONG KONG--The Hong Kong government has warned the city's residents to consider deferring all non-essential travel outside of the territory, as the coronavirus becomes increasingly prevalent around the world.
It had already placed a red alert--the second-highest warning in Hong Kong--on travelling to South Korea and the Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy.
However, the government said all travelers out of Hong Kong should now contemplate putting their plans on hold.
Hong Kong has reported 106 cases of coronavirus and two deaths in the past six weeks, according to the city's health officials.
Just three of the territory's 13 borders with mainland China remain open following the announcement of closures by Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam on Feb. 3.
COVID-19 is the name of the illness caused by the new coronavirus.
"As the transmission of COVID-19 virus has been increasing around the world, they are advised to consider delaying all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong," the CHP said in a statement published on a government website on Friday.
All travelers arriving into Hong Kong from Sunday will have to complete a health declaration form, a measure which had been put in place only for mainland Chinese passengers, according to the statement.
Stories about memories of cherry blossoms solicited from readers
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series on the death of a Japanese woman that sparked a debate about criminal justice policy in the United States
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.