The number of new infections of the Coronavirus outside China has outpaced those inside the country for the first time, according to the World Health Organization. The disease has been detected in at least 41 countries, most involving people who travelled from China.

Sustained transmission of the virus has been reported in South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran.

Hotels in Austria, France and the Canary Islands of Spain were locked down this week after guests tested positive for the virus or were suspected of having it.

The steps to limit contagion differed from place to place, but large group gatherings were often the first things to be cancelled where the virus had been detected.

In China, the authorities cautioned that the falling infection rate might be only a temporary reprieve, while South Korean officials scrambled to contain the largest outbreak outside China. The U.S. military confirmed that one soldier stationed in South Korea had tested positive.

Source New York Times.