China reports 30 virus deaths, rise in new infections and imported cases

A man wearing a face mask stands in front of a closed toll gate of the Jiujiang Changjiang bridge leading to Hubei province, in Jiujiang in China’s central Jiangxi province on March 6, 2020. – China reported 30 more deaths from the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak on March 6, with fresh infections rising for a second straight day and 16 new cases imported from overseas. (Photo by NOEL CELIS / AFP)

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China reported 30 more deaths from the new coronavirus outbreak on Friday, with fresh infections rising for a second straight day and 16 new cases imported from overseas.

In total 3,042 people have died from the disease in China, the National Health Commission said, with another 143 cases, up from 139 in the previous day.

Over 80,500 people have now been infected in mainland China, which has imposed a series of dramatic measures to try and contain the spread of infections beyond the epicenter, central Hubei province.

But as the virus spreads overseas, there has been a growing number of cases imported into the country by travelers from abroad.

There have now been 36 cases brought into China in total, the commission said Friday, 16 more than in the previous day.

The number of cases reported outside Hubei was the highest in over a week with 17 cases.

China still accounts for the majority of cases and deaths, but infections are now rising faster abroad, with South Korea, Iran, and Italy emerging as major hotspots.

© Agence France-Presse