China extends Lunar New Year holiday as new virus toll rises

BEIJING (AP) — China extended its Lunar New Year holiday three more days to discourage people from traveling as it tries to contain the spread of a viral illness that has caused 80 deaths, the government said Monday.

There were 2,744 confirmed cases by midnight Sunday, the National Health Commission announced.

Tens of millions of Chinese who visited their hometowns or tourist spots were due to return home this week in the world's largest movement of humanity, raising the risk the virus might spread in crowded trains and planes.

The official end of the holiday will be postponed to Sunday from Friday to “effectively reduce mass gatherings" and "block the spread of the epidemic,” a Cabinet statement said.

Schools will postpone reopening after the holiday until further notice, the statement said.

Some 769 new cases were confirmed Sunday and more than 30,000 people who had contact with possible cases were under medical observation, the Health Commission reported.

The government also reported five cases in Hong Kong and two in Macao. Scattered have been found in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the U.S., Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, France, Canada and Australia. The U.S. has confirmed cases in Washington state, Chicago, Southern California and Arizona.

President Xi Jinping has called the outbreak a grave situation and said the government was stepping up efforts to restrict travel and public gatherings while rushing medical staff and supplies to the city at the center of the crisis, Wuhan, which remains on lockdown with no flights, trains or buses in or out.

While warning the virus's ability to spread seemed be getting stronger, China's Health Minister Ma Xiaowei said travel restrictions and other strict measures should bring results “at the lowest cost...