Hong Kong reported its first coronavirus death and Macau ordered casinos to shut for two weeks as the Chinese territories battled to halt the spread of an epidemic that has claimed more than 420 lives in mainland China. Hong Kong’s first fatality from the newly identified virus was a 39-year-old man who suffered from an underlying illness and had visited China’s Wuhan city – the epicenter of the outbreak – in January, hospital staff said. It was the second coronavirus death outside mainland China after a 44-year-old Chinese man died in the Philippines, fueling calls for authorities in the Asian financial hub to seal off the border with the mainland.
