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Friday, January 31, 2020

Coronavirus live updates: China says death toll hits 259, confirmed cases rise to 11,791

This is a live blog. Please check back for updates.

All times below in Beijing time.

9:30 am: Beijing city told companies to work remotely till Feb. 10

Beijing announced that companies in the city will have to find ways to work remotely till Feb. 10 to stem the coronavirus outbreak — except essential industries, according to state media Beijing Daily.  

Other provinces and cities have delayed the start of work. Hubei authorities have announced that businesses are not to resume work till midnight on Feb. 13. Shanghai, hongqing, Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Suzhou, Inner Mongolia and Zhejiang told businesses not to resume work till midnight on Feb. 9.

7:20 am China reports 46 new deaths

China's National Health Commission said there have been an additional 46 deaths and 2,102 new confirmed cases, as of the end of Friday. That brings the country's total to 259 deaths and 11,791 confirmed cases, the government said.

Hubei Province's local health commission reported 45 new deaths from the outbreak on Friday, bringing the total to 249. The province confirmed 1,347 new cases of infection on Friday, with the total reaching 7,153 by the end of the day.

All times below in Eastern time.

3:50 pm: Trump issues mandatory quarantine, denies foreign nationals entry

The Trump administration is issuing a mandatory quarantine for U.S. citizens who've visited Hubei province in the last 14 days and denying entry to foreign nationals who "pose a risk of transmitting" the virus in the U.S., administration officials said in declaring the coronavirus a public health emergency. "Any US citizen returning to the United States who has been in the Hubei province in the previous 14 days will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine to ensure they're provided proper medical care and health screening," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.

10:30 am: Sweden confirms first case

Sweden's Public Health Agency said a woman tested positive for coronavirus and was being kept isolated at a hospital in southern Sweden, the country's first confirmed case. The woman visited Wuhan and experienced symptoms after her return to Sweden, the agency said.

10:15 am: Delta, American will suspend all China flights starting Feb. 6

Delta Air Lines and American Airlines are planning to suspend their already reduced service to China as the rapid spread of coronavirus hurts demand to the country for airlines around the world. Delta said its China service suspension will begin Feb. 6 and last through April 30, but it will continue to operate the service until then to "ensure customers looking to exit China have options to do so." Dozens of carriers including United, Cathay Pacific, British Airways and others have slashed or suspended service to China because of the outbreak. Delta was the first in the U.S. to suspend service altogether.

10 am: Italy declares coronavirus emergency

Italy declared a six-month state of emergency after two Chinese tourists in the country tested positive for the coronavirus in the first cases detected in the country. The move will enable authorities to make rapid decisions if needed. Italy has already banned all flights to and from China. The two patients came from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, and fell ill during their trip to Italy.

6:50 am: Singapore, Mongolia ban Chinese travelers

Singapore's health ministry banned entry to all Chinese visitors and foreigners with a recent history of travel to China. The move, which effectively shuts out the island's largest group of visitors, takes effect Saturday. It is the first Southeast Asian country to implement a travel ban for China travelers to contain the outbreak. The announcement came after the U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory on Thursday for China from Level 3 to Level 4. Mongolia also said it's closing all ports of entry to and from China, giving citizens until Feb. 6 to get home.

For more of CNBC's coverage on the coronavirus, read the overnight blog from CNBC's U.S. team.

— CNBC's William Feuer and Berkeley Lovelace Jr. contributed to this report.

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