The death toll for the new strain of coronavirus has risen to at least 26 in China.
Chinese authorities have also confirmed that there are currently 830 cases of patients infected with the flu-like virus nationwide.
Travel restrictions have also been put in place and will be affecting at least 20 million people across 10 different cities in China, including Wuhan where the virus first emerged.
Cities have been shutting down and lockdowns have been implemented on the eve of Lunar New Year - one of the most important celebrations for Chinese people.
The Disney Resort in Shanghai has released a statement saying it will be temporarily closing in order to help prevent the disease from spreading.
Cases of the new virus have been detected in Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the United States, as health officials work to prevent a global emergency.
Reports also suggest that the new strain is believed to have emerged late last year from illegally traded wildlife in Wuhan's animal market.
A US immigration agent has shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her car in Minneapolis on Wednesday during an immigration enforcement surge, according to local and federal officials, the latest violence in President Donald Trump's nationwide crackdown on migrants.
Israel's military said on Thursday it had carried out a targeted strike on a rocket launch site near Gaza City after identifying a failed launch, as questions mount over when the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire will begin.
Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher serving a three-year prison sentence in Russia for violating Moscow's foreign agent laws, has been freed as part of a prisoner exchange, French and Russian officials said on Thursday.
The US has seized two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, one sailing under Russia's flag, as part of President Donald Trump's aggressive push to dictate oil flows in the Americas and force Venezuela's socialist government to become an ally.