Hong Kong reports 1st coronavirus death

A 39-year-old man from Hong Kong who traveled to Wuhan, China, last month died on Tuesday from the new coronavirus, hospital officials said.

The highly contagious coronavirus originated in Wuhan, and this is the second death from the outbreak to take place outside of mainland China. The man went to Wuhan on Jan. 21 and returned to Hong Kong two days later, and was hospitalized on Jan. 31. Officials said he had a preexisting condition. His mother did not go to Wuhan but has contracted the virus; the man's wife, two children, and a person who works for the family have all been quarantined.

People in Hong Kong are calling on the government to seal its border with mainland China. Thousands of medical workers have gone on strike, in an attempt to convince the government to close all of the border checkpoints. On Monday, all but three of the 16 checkpoints were shuttered.

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There are 20,438 confirmed cases of Wuhan coronavirus in mainland China, where more than 400 people have died.