Countries tighten China travel curbs as official admits mishandling virus

Countries expanded restrictions on travellers from China over a deadly virus epidemic Friday as an official admitted that a botched response worsened an outbreak that has grown into a global health emergency.

At least 213 people have died and nearly 10,000 people have been infected in China by the new coronavirus, while new cases were found abroad with more than 20 countries now affected by the disease.

The top Communist Party official in Wuhan, the central city of 11 million people where the virus first emerged in December, said Friday he felt "remorse" because local authorities had acted too slowly.

Last week, China's central government finally jumped into action, effectively sealing off Wuhan and its surrounding Hubei province, and curbing travel across the nation of 1.4 billion people.

But the epidemic has spread far and wide as Chinese people travelled across the country and abroad over the Lunar New Year holiday that started last week.

The World Health Organization on Thursday ..