BREAKING NEWS: Six Coronavirus Cases Confirmed in Wilmington

Five Americans and one Chinese have tested positive for coronavirus in Wilmington, North Carolina, authorities have said in a statement.

According to the statement, Five people became ill after coming into contact with a Chinese colleague who was visiting from Shanghai and had recently been in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

Authorities say the Chinese is still not showing symptoms of the virus despite testing positive and that is why border control did not notice.

The six have been admitted at an undisclosed health facility and are staying in an isolation ward.

So far, 2,656 new cases have been recorded in China, with 89 new deaths – raising the death toll to 1,411.

Countries around the world are starting to cut ties with China and pull their citizens out of the crisis-hit Hubei region, where the virus emerged in the city of Wuhan.

Hong Kong’s leader today held a press conference during which she wore a face mask and said the city would stop all high-speed trains and ferries to the mainland, halve the number of flights and stop giving visas to visitors from China.

Thirteen cases around the world have confirmed the coronavirus is spreading from person to person outside of China among people who have not visited the country.