Coronavirus: Chinese New Year holidays extended to help tackle new virus

New Year holidays in China are being extended by three days until Sunday 2 February.

The move has been taken to help stop citizens spreading coronavirus - a new virus that has broken out in the country and even reached other nations around the world.

For Chinese people, Lunar new year is the most important holiday in the year.

It is a national holiday and usually sees many people travelling across the country and abroad to visit their loved ones.

The Chinese government is hoping that by making the holiday longer, it will delay people travelling back or returning to work.

That could stop lots of people taking public transport and potentially spreading the virus.

The virus started in Wuhan - a city the size of London with 11 million residents.

Wuhan has now been put under "lockdown" which means that no one is allowed to leave the city.

According to the National Health Commission and state media, there have been almost 3,000 confirmed cases of the virus in China.

So far, 81 people have died. The virus tends to affect the very young and very old most. Many people are expected to recover.

Chinese health workers have been testing temperatures as people enter public areas - a high temperature might be a sign of coronavirus

What is being done in China to stop the virus spreading?

In the major cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and Tianjin, long distance buses have been banned.

Subway trains in Beijing are being cleaned and disinfected once a day. Escalators and ticket machines are disinfected three times a day.

A child wears a mask at Tiananmen Square in Beijing

Taxi drivers in Tianjin have also been asked to disinfect their cars.

In Shanghai shops and businesses are not allowed to return to work until Monday 10 February.

The Chinese government is encouraging everyone to keep their hands clean and to cover their mouths when they sneeze and cough.

Coronavirus has been found in other countries outside China

The virus has already spread abroad, but governments around the world are working hard to keep it contained.

In the UK, the risk of the virus spreading is said to be low.