The national toll of the coronavirus epidemic in China has risen to 259 dead and the number of people infected is close to 12,000, Chinese health authorities announced on Saturday.
The National Health Commission announced in its daily update that 46 people had died from coronavirus infection in the past 24 hours.
All but one of the new deaths have been recorded in Hubei, a province in central China which is home to the epidemic that began in December. The number of infections in China has also increased, reaching precisely 11,791, the commission said.
On Friday, a senior Communist Party official from Wuhan expressed "remorse," saying local authorities had not reacted quickly enough to contain the epidemic.
Australia closes borders to non-residents
The other countries are trying to protect themselves from the risks of an epidemic. Australia has announced that it will refuse entry to the country for non-residents arriving from China. "Only Australian citizens, Australian residents, legal guardians and wives" will be allowed to enter the country from China, announced Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. "Returning people will be required to observe a 14-day quarantine period," he added.
At the same time, China continues to cancel sports meetings. Beijing has announced that the first tournament of the year in the world badminton season, which is set to begin on February 25 in Lingshui, on the island of Hainan, in southern China, and will last six days.
Reassure the inhabitants of Carry-le-Rouet
In France, after the arrival of 180 people from Wuhan to Carry-le-Rouet to be quarantined, local residents expressed their concerns during a public meeting organized Friday evening at the prefecture.
Two passengers on the plane that landed at the military base in Istres on Friday had symptoms of a new coronavirus infection. They were transferred to hospital in Marseille, where their tests were negative. They were able to join the holiday club with the others.
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Coronavirus: the first French returnees from China have arrived
Pierre Dartout, the regional prefect invoked before the inhabitants an "operation of national interest" whose objective was to "protect the returnees" and "reassure them".
For his part, Philippe de Mester, the director of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) assured that 5,800 inhabitants of the city are in "no danger" by being sorry to see "abominations that can be read on the social networks ”. Statements that have not completely reassured.
"A psychosis has set in with us because of the lack of information on your part," said a resident at the Prefect. Others have expressed the economic risks for the city celebrating Sunday its traditional "sea urchins" which must bring together thousands of people.