China reports 11 new virus cases, majority 'imported'

Saudi Arabia says it will suspend international flights for two weeks to control the spread of Covid-19

BEIJING/RIYADH: China reported 11 new infections of the coronavirus on Saturday, and for the first time since the start of the epidemic, the majority of them were imported cases from overseas.

The National Health Commission said there were four more people infected in Hubei's capital Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December.

The daily tally is the lowest for Wuhan since China started reporting figures in January.

The other seven new infections - four in Shanghai, two in Gansu province and one in Beijing - were of people arriving from overseas, fuelling fears that China's strict containment measures may be undone by people coming in from hotspots in other countries.

Pakistan suspends flight operations from several airports to control outbreak

Their nationality was not specified. There have now been 95 imported cases.

Another 13 people died, bringing the national toll from the disease in mainland China to 3,189. Nearly 81,000 people have now been infected.

Saudi Arabia suspends flights 

Saudi Arabia said Saturday it would suspend international flights for two weeks in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

"The Kingdom's government decided to suspend international flights for two weeks (Starting from Sunday, March 15th) as part of its efforts to prevent the spread of #CoronaVirus," the foreign ministry tweeted.

Saudi Arabia has recorded 86 cases of the virus so far, but no deaths, according to the health ministry.

The kingdom had already halted flights to some countries and closed schools and universities as part of measures to contain the disease.

Authorities have also suspended the umrah year-round pilgrimage to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina for fear of the virus spreading.

Read The Express Tribune‘s live coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak in Pakistan and the around the globe here.