Chinese expert explains how to avoid being infected with coronavirus

The 2019-nCoV coronavirus may be contagious at a two-meter distance, National Health Commission expert Li Xingwang of Beijing Ditan Hospital said.

"Everyone must wear protective masks and reduce the number of close contacts to as low as possible. By ‘close,’ we currently mean a distance of one to two meters - the infection may happen at this distance," TASS cited the expert as saying.

He added that the virus might be transmitted by contact, if it gets in human eyes or on mucous membranes.

As of today, 4547 Chinese nationals were infected with the new coronavirus. Of those, 106 cases were lethal.