Nurses are at Auckland Airport this morning ready to test any unwell passengers arriving from China, as New Zealand steps up its response to the novel coronavirus which has spread to almost 2,000 people.
Fifty-six people have died from the virus, which broke out in Wuhan in Hubei and is thought to have originated in animals.
Cases have been confirmed in Japan, Taiwan, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, the US, and France.
Chinese officials say the virus is infectious in its incubation period - before symptoms show - making it harder to contain.
Corin Dann speaks to RNZ's correspondent in Beijing, Patrick Fok.
