China ramped up measures to contain the Coronavirus epidemic and shore up an economy hit by travel curbs and business shut-downs on Sunday as the first death from the illness was reported outside the country.
A 44-year-old Chinese man from the central city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, traveled to the Philippines and died on Saturday in a hospital in Manila, the Philippines Department of Health said.
Some 304 people have died in China, the country’s National Health Commission said on Sunday. Infections in China jumped to 14.380 as of Saturday, after their biggest daily rise, the commission added.
At least another 171 cases have been reported in more than two dozen other countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Britain.
Beijing is facing mounting isolation as the countries introduce travel restrictions, airlines suspend flights and governments evacuate their citizens, risking worsening a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy.
China’s central bank said it would inject a hefty $173.8 billion worth of liquidity into the markets via reverse repo operations on Monday as the country prepares to reopen its stock markets after an extended Lunar New Year holiday.
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