Beijing reports capital's first death from coronavirus

Beijing authorities on Monday reported the Chinese capital's first death from a new deadly virus that has rapidly spread across the country, killing more than 80 people and causing global alarm.

The victim was a 50-year-old man who had visited the central city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, on January 8 and developed a fever after returning to Beijing seven days later, the city's health commission said.

He went to a hospital on January 21 and died on Monday of respiratory failure, the commission said.

The authorities have enacted sweeping travel restrictions across the country in a desperate bid to stop the virus from spreading further.

Transport bans have been enacted in Wuhan and other cities in central Hubei province, effectively corralling some 56 million people.

Beijing has halted long-distance bus service to and from the city.

© 2020 AFP