China virus cases pass 70,000 as WHO mission begins

A family wears protective face masks outside an almost-empty Beijing shopping mall. [AFP / GREG BAKER]

The number of people infected with the new coronavirus in China passed 70,000 on Monday as international experts began meetings with their Chinese counterparts on how to tackle an epidemic that has caused global concern.

The death toll jumped to 1,765 in mainland China after 100 more people died in Hubei province, where the virus first emerged in December before spreading across the country and overseas.