Beijing has ordered everyone returning to the city to go into quarantine for 14 days or risk punishment in the latest attempt to contain the deadly new coronavirus, state media report. More than 20 million people live in Beijing.

Residents were told to “self-quarantine or go to designated venues to quarantine” after returning to the Chinese capital from holidays.

The measure came as Egypt confirmed the first coronavirus case in Africa. Over 1,500 people have died from the virus, which originated in Wuhan city.

China’s national health commission on Saturday reported 143 new deaths, bringing the toll to 1,523. All but four of the latest victims were in hard-hit Hubei province. A further 2,641 people have been newly confirmed as infected, bringing the national total to 66,492.

Outside mainland China, there have been more than 500 cases in 24 countries, and three deaths: one each in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan.

A World Health Organization (WHO)-led mission to China will start its outbreak investigation work this weekend, focusing on how the virus – officially named Covid-19 – is spreading and its severity, director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, as reported by BBC.

The mission, including international experts, will also look at how and when more than 1,700 health workers contracted the virus. The team consists of 12 international members and their 12 Chinese counterparts.