Maldives bans travellers from China over virus fears, minister says

The Maldives has banned travellers arriving from China as a precautionary measure to combat the spread of coronavirus, Ali Waheed, the tourism minister of the Indian Ocean islands, said on Monday.

More than 280,000 Chinese tourists visited the luxury holiday destination in 2019, government data show, the largest number from any country.

The flu-like disease has caused more than 350 deaths in China since emerging in the central city of Wuhan, where it is believed to have originated in a market illegally trading in wildlife.