UPDATE 1-Singapore business gathering linked to virus cases overseas

An international business gathering at a plush Singapore hotel has been linked to coronavirus cases reported in Malaysia and South Korea, evidence of human-to-human spread outside China that health authorities say is deeply concerning.

Malaysia said its first infected citizen - a 41-year-old man - had attended a meeting of several international delegations, including those from China where the virus originated, in Singapore in mid-January. A 38-year-old South Korean who came into contact with the Malaysian when he traveled to Singapore with colleagues for a business conference is also infected, Jeong Eun-kykeon, director of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Wednesday.

The two had a buffet meal together with several other Koreans during the conference, Korea's Joongang Ilbo newspaper reported. Singapore's health ministry said on Tuesday that the Malaysian attended a business meeting with Chinese nationals at the Grand Hyatt Hotel - near the bustling Orchard Road shopping district - and that it was working to identify others at risk.

Authorities have not commented on the nature of the business gathering nor which industry is involved. Gerald Kheng, a spokesman for the Grand Hyatt Hotel, confirmed the Malaysian had stayed at the hotel for a week in mid-January but did comment on meetings held at the hotel.

The health ministry "has not advised details on how, where and when this individual was infected with the virus," Kheng said, adding the hotel had been deep cleaned and that it was not aware of any other cases among its hotel guests or staff. Singapore - one of the worst-hit countries outside China in the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - has reported 24 cases of coronavirus, including some local transmission cases.

While the city-state has said there is no evidence of widespread community spread, it announced new precautionary measures on Tuesday such as halting group activities, like assemblies at school. Meanwhile, several firms in the city-state have suspended business and media events - including Singapore's largest travel fair - while the biennial Singapore Airshow is set to go ahead next week albeit on a smaller scale.

The World Health Organisation has said cases of human-to-human transmission outside China is "deeply concerning" and "hold the potential for a much larger outbreak." The death toll from the epidemic neared 500 on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)