Singapore has recorded six more cases of infection with the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), including the first four cases of human-to-human transmission.

An abrupt decision to close all schools in more than two dozen localities to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus has caught parents off guard, forcing many to desperately seek for an alternative to their children’s daycare.

The northern province of Quang Ninh suspended entry of all Chinese tourists and self-drive tours from China from January 30 amid the widening threat from a new strain of coronavirus called nCoV.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has asked tourism sector to pay special heed to well controlling and keeping close watch on the acute respiratory disease originated from Wuhan, China (2019-nCoV).

Thirty-four of 37 Chinese tourists suffering from food poisoning in Khanh Hoa Province have been discharged from hospital in stable condition, said Le Tan Phung, deputy director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Health on Wednesday.

Khanh Hoa Province still took the lead among localities in the country in terms of attracting tourists from China, welcoming some two million Chinese tourists between January and September.

The number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam in the year to August fell 0.9% year-on-year, provoking concern among local tourism management agencies, as they had expected the number of tourists from this source market to grow by 5%.

The coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province last year ranked third among the top five Southeast Asian beach destinations favored by Chinese tourists.