FACTBOX-Latest on coronavirus spreading in China and beyond

Fears grew on Monday that the coronavirus outbreak in China will grow into a pandemic with disruptive and deadly consequences for countries around the world, after sharp rises in infections in South Korea, Italy, and Iran.

* The virus has killed 2,442 and infected 76,936 people in China, and slammed the brakes on the world's second-largest economy.

* Large parts of China relaxed curbs on transport and movement of people on Monday as only 11 new cases were reported outside of Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak.

* However, international worries about the spread of coronavirus outside China grew, with the World Health Organization (WHO) expressing concern about the number of cases with no clear epidemiological link.

* Outside China, the outbreak has spread to about 29 countries and territories, with a death toll of about two dozen, according to a Reuters tally.

* Italy is battling the largest flare-up of the disease yet seen in Europe, with three people dying of the illness since Friday and more than 150 cases reported.

* Almost a dozen towns in Lombardy and Veneto with a combined population of some 50,000 have effectively been placed under quarantine as authorities struggled to find out how the outbreak started.

* South Korea reported 161 new cases of the virus, bringing the total number of infected patients to 763 on Monday, a day after the government raised its infectious disease alert to its highest level.

* Iran said it had confirmed 43 cases and eight deaths.

* Kuwait and Bahrain recorded their first cases - three and one, respectively - all involving people who had visited Iran. Afghanistan also reported its first case.

* Iraq shut a border crossing with Kuwait to travelers and trade at Kuwait's request.

* Hong Kong said it had 74 confirmed cases, up from 69 on Saturday. The death toll is three.

* Qatar will ask passengers from Iran and South Korea to remain in home isolation or a quarantine facility for 14 days, Qatar Airways said on Monday.

* South Korean airlines said they are suspending flights to Daegu, the country's fourth-largest city with the largest number of coronavirus cases, for the time being.

* French minister said on Monday he saw no need to shut transport borders between France and Italy despite the spread of coronavirus.

* A third passenger from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan died on Sunday.

* In England, four passengers evacuated from the cruise ship tested positive for coronavirus.

* The Trump administration has backed off plans to quarantine patients from the cruise ship at a federal facility in Alabama.

* Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund predicted the outbreak would lower China's growth this year to 5.6% and shave 0.1 percentage points from global growth.

* Finance chiefs of the world's top 20 economies vowed to monitor the virus impact on global growth and act if needed.

* China will intensify efforts to help cushion the blow to the economy from the virus that authorities are still trying to control, President Xi Jinping said.

* China's trade council says 3,325 force majeure certificates have been issued to protect firms from legal damages stemming from the outbreak as of Feb. 21, covering contracts worth around 270 billion yuan ($38.43 billion).

* South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday said the country may consider the supplementary budget to head off virus impact.

* Argentine beef exports to its top buyer China fell almost a third in January due to a price dispute with importers and the effects of the outbreak.

* Global shares and oil slid while safe-haven gold surged as the spread of the coronavirus outside China darkened the outlook for world growth.