China virus cases rise again, 66 more on ship in Japan

China reported a rise in new virus cases Monday, possibly denting optimism that disease control measures including isolating major cities might be working, while Japan reported dozens of new cases aboard a quarantined cruise ship.

mainland death toll rose by 97 to 908 in 24 hours through midnight Sunday and 3,062 new cases were reported. That was up 15% from Saturday and broke a string of daily declines. A government spokesman h said Sunday those declines showed containment measures were successful.

operator of a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama, near Tokyo, said an ditional 66 cases were found aboard. That is in dition to 70 reported earlier.

Health Minister Katsubu Kato said Japanese government was considering testing all 3,711 passengers and crew on Diamond Princess, which would require m to remain aboard until results are available. Health authorities are scrambling to deliver medicine requested by more than 600 passengers.

“We are doing utmost to keep everyone in good health,” Kato said.

fatality toll from new virus has passed 774 people believed to have died in 2002-03 epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, ar viral outbreak that originated in China. total of 40,171 cases on mainland of new virus vastly exceeds 8,098 sickened by SARS.

More than 360 cases have been confirmed outside mainland China, including two deaths in Hong Kong and Philippines.

China has built two hospitals and sent thousands of extra doctors, nurses and or health care workers to Wuhan, city of 11 million people in central China that is epicenter of outbreak. Most access to Wuhan was suspended Jan. 23. Restrictions have spre to cities with a total of 60 million people.

Businesses are grually reopening following Lunar New Year holiday, which was extended to discour travel in an attempt to contain virus, but y face heavy losses.

At Sanyuanli market in Beijing, Chinese capital, shoppers in face masks mixed with delivery drivers who were collecting orders of meat, fruit and vegetables. Stalls were stocked with pork, mutton, seafood and vegetables.

“ number of customers here is down a lot, maybe by more than half,” said Liu Ying, who sells walnuts, cashews and or specialties. “But you can see a lot of people calling in orders, so we’re slowly getting busy again.”

Asian stock markets slid Monday following warnings that investor optimism disease and its ecomic impact were being brought under control might be premature.

China’s central bank anunced a 300 billion yuan ($43 billion) fund to make low-interest loans to producers of medicine and medical supplies or or companies involved in fighting virus.

Over weekend, government promised tax cuts and subsidies to farmers, supermarkets, producers of medical supplies and companies that contribute to anti-disease work.

China’s leers are trying to keep food flowing to crowded cities despite anti-disease controls and to quell fears of possible shorts and price spikes following panic buying after most access to Wuhan and nearby cities was cut off.

Consumer inflation spiked to an eight-year high of 5.4% over a year earlier in January, driven by a 4.4% rise in food costs, government reported Monday. Food prices rose 1.4% from previous month.

“It appears that supply disruptions and hoarding due to coronavirus outbreak helped to keep food prices elevated during week after Chinese New Year, when y would rmally drop back,” Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Ecomics said in a report.

Organizers of Hong Kong Arts Festival on Monday canceled all of its more than 120 planned music, dance and drama performances, including two concerts by Boston Symphony Orchestra. festival was due to start this week and run through mid-March.

Meanwhile, mor of a physician who died last week in Wuhan said in a video released Sunday she wants an explanation from authorities who reprimanded him for warning about virus in December.

death of Li Wenliang, 34, prompted an outpouring of public anger. Some postings left on his microblog account said officials should face consequences for mistreating Li.

“We won’t give up if y don’t give us an explanation,” Lu Shuyun said in video distributed by Pear Video, an online brocast platform.

video shows flowers in her home with a te that says, “Hero is immortal. Thank you.”