Hong Kong imposes more restrictions amid virus

Hong Kong officials on Tuesday confirmed that the region would be imposing more restrictions due to the worldwide spread of the new strain of virus. Measures already implemented by Hong Kong may be heightened, including travel restrictions against countries which have been hit by the spread of the new strain of coronavirus.

Speaking at a news conference, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam said the plans are to "be reviewed almost on a daily basis".

Lam said the reason for heightened restrictions was "uncertainty in the global situation".

The Chief Executive's comments come after a record stock market decline caused in part by the global spread of the new virus.

Tuesday morning saw Asian markets rebound after an announcement from US President Donald Trump that he would ask Congress for a tax cut and other measures to ease the pain of the spreading coronavirus outbreak.

Commenting on the financial situation, Hong Kong's Finance Minister Paul Chan said: "The further development will depend on a number of factors, the outbreak of the coronavirus, the drop in oil prices, are relevant factors, but on the other hand, their own domestic and political situation are also relevant."

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World  Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered.”