HONG KONG CITY 5 Feb (ANA) - Hong Kong is to impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all visitors from mainland China as it battles to prevent the spread of a coronavirus outbreak.

The policy comes into effect on Saturday but officials refused to close the border entirely, as demanded by medical staff who have gone on strike.

Hong Kong, which has 21 confirmed cases and one fatality, suffered 300 deaths in the Sars outbreak in 2002-03.

There are 24,300 confirmed coronavirus cases and 490 deaths on the mainland.

Those figures included an additional 4,000 cases and 65 deaths on Tuesday.

The virus has spread overseas, with some 25 nations confirming cases, although there have so far been only two deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global health emergency. Its chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday appealed for $ 675m (£ 520m) to fund a three-month response plan.(ANA)

FA/ANA/5 February 2020-----