The coronavirus has killed 56 people in China, and infected more than 2,000 people globally.
That's according to the figures released on Sunday, with President Xi Jinping describing the situation as "grave".
Health officials in Beijing have sent out mobile text messages to all residents, urging them not to shake hands, in a bid to prevent a pandemic.
Meanwhile, US officials at the Wuhan consulate will be moved back home, with US citizens offered a limited number of seats on a January 28 flight to San Francisco.
The virus has spread to Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the US, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France and Canada.
SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket reached orbit for the first time on Monday despite having one of its engines shut down unexpectedly, overcoming a hitch mid-flight to deploy its first batch of new Starlink satellites in a truncated mission ending hours earlier than originally planned.
British police said on Monday they were investigating whether individuals acting for a foreign state were involved in an apparent plot to attack an airbase used by the United States but said five suspects they had arrested would be released on bail.
Thousands sheltered on Monday in evacuation centres in the Thai capital, parts of it still flooded after havoc brought by intense weekend rain, while swelling reservoirs in an eastern province triggered orders for more to leave their homes.
Heavy rain and storms have triggered floods and landslides that killed 56 people in India, while in Nepal, 14 have died and another 11 are missing, with authorities warning on Sunday that more flash floods are possible.