Japan Health Minister on virus affecting Olympics

Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato on Tuesday called on the public to step up prevention and safety efforts after the government announced basic policies to tackle the novel coronavirus.

Measures include encouraging companies to allow employees to work from home and expanding hospital treatment capacity, urging people to wash their hands carefully and avoid going out when feeling unwell.

The government also asked those with mild illnesses to go to family doctors instead of hospitals with specialised virus-control facilities which are treating many seriously ill patients.

Asked about the new measures and whether Japan's hosting of the Tokyo Olympics would be in line with the latest government policies discouraging people from going out, Kato said the measures apply in the immediate term and that it was still too early to discuss the Olympics.

Japan has confirmed 850 cases, the third highest number behind China and South Korea.

The case total includes 691 people infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked in Yokohama near Tokyo.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has been widely criticized after the quarantine of the ship was seen to have failed to stop the virus from spreading.