BEIJING — China's transport authority decided on Jan 23 to suspend the passenger traffic into Wuhan by road and waterway in the country's efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

Cross-province and cross-city chartered coach lines into Wuhan as well as applications for such services are suspended, the Ministry of Transport said in a notice.

Road passenger transport lines passing Wuhan also have to circumvent the city and must not pick up or drop off passengers in the capital city of Central China's Hubei province.

Tighter regulations will be imposed on related vehicles leaving the city. Such vehicles are banned from taking passengers out of the city, and measures such as body temperature monitoring of drivers and conductors and vehicle disinfection should be taken accordingly, the notice said.

Nationwide, a total of 17 people had died and 571 cases were confirmed in 25 provincial-level regions by the end of Jan 22.