Virus jitters spread to steel market as worker travel at risk

FILE PHOTO: Passengers pass a banner about Wuhan Pneumonia at a thermal screening point in the international arrival terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia, January 21, 2020. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng/File Photo

SINGAPORE: The world’s biggest steel industry is facing pressure from the spread of a deadly respiratory illness that threatens to slow construction activity.

Concerns center on the ability of people to travel within China during and after the Lunar New Year holidays that start Friday, and whether the government may seek to deter movement to curb the spread of the disease. The country’s steel sector typically picks up after the week-long break as construction activity restarts.