China has confirmed more than 4,500 cases of a new virus, with 106 deaths. Most have been in the central city of Wuhan where the outbreak began in December. More than 45 cases have been confirmed in other places with nearly all of them involving Chinese tourists or people who visited Wuhan recently, Associated Press reports.
According to BBC, businesses are also offering workers longer holidays, as well as telling employees returning from the most affected areas to stay away from work.
Several companies, including Swiss banking group UBS and property developer Country Garden, have told staff returning from the city of Wuhan or Hubei province to quarantine themselves at home.