JUST IN: Coronavirus death toll rises to 81

The number of people killed in China by the new coronavirus has risen to 81, with almost 3,000 confirmed ill, according to BBC.

The national new year holiday has been extended by three days to Sunday, in an attempt to contain the spread.

The number of deaths in Hubei rose from 56 to 76, with five deaths elsewhere. Wuhan is in lockdown and several other cities have imposed travel bans.

At least 44 cases have been confirmed abroad, including in Thailand, the United States, and Australia.

There have been no deaths outside China.

In Shanghai, the government has stopped businesses from returning to work until 10 February. The ban applies to all companies apart from utilities, medical firms, medical suppliers, and supermarkets.

Meanwhile, the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is in Beijing to discuss the outbreak with the Chinese government and health experts.

The virus is thought to have emerged from illegally traded wildlife at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan.

Authorities have since temporarily banned the sale of all wildlife in China. The virus itself is a new, or “novel” coronavirus – a family that normally affects animals.