China virus: Malaysia halts partial visa issuance

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Malaysia has stopped issuing visas to Chinese nationals from regions in the country affected by novel coronavirus outbreak.

Kuala Lumpur said that it was following World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to stop the spread of the fatal virus which has already claimed 106 lives in mainland China, Malaysian daily The Star reported on Monday.

All immigration facilities including issuing visas for Chinese citizens from Wuhan and the areas around Hubei province have been stopped with "immediate effect," the report said.

"The immigration facilities will be reinstated when the situation returns to normal," the Malaysian prime ministry said in a statement.

Some 4,515 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV, had been reported in 30 provincial-level regions by last night, China's National Health Commission said.

Tens of cases have been reported in Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, the U.S., Singapore, France, Malaysia, Australia and Vietnam.

In Malaysia, King Al-Sultan Abdullah today directed all mosques to hold special prayers for the spread of the new virus to stop.