More China coronavirus cases, deaths; US urges citizens off ship

A passenger wearing a mask stands on the deck of the cruise ship Diamond Princess as the vessel's passengers continue to be tested for Covid-19, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. The ship has been quarantined since its arrival in Yokohama on Feb 3. Of its 3,500 passengers and crew, 285 have tested positive for the infection. - Reuters

SHANGHAI/TOKYO: More than 2,600 new cases of a coronavirus have been confirmed in China with deaths up by 143, health officials said on Saturday (Feb 15), as the United States urged its citizens to leave a virus-struck cruise ship under quarantine in Japan.

China is struggling to get the world's second-largest economy back to work after an extended Lunar New Year holiday with the central bank pledging to support companies, but travel bans and quarantine orders are frustrating business as usual.