China faces more border curbs

Lunar New Year holidays draw to an end; more flights cancelled as toll touches 259

China faced mounting isolation from international travel curbs and flight suspensions on Saturday as the death toll from a spreading coronavirus outbreak rose to 259.

The epidemic has led to mass evacuations of foreign citizens and risks exacerbating a slowdown in growth in the world’s second-largest economy. Russia said its aerospace defence forces would begin flying its citizens out.

Inside China, Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, was under a virtual quarantine, with roads sealed off and public transport shut down. Elsewhere, local authorities placed growing restrictions on travel and business.