Passengers scanned for coronavirus as plane lands on flights from China

Plane passengers were individually scanned in their seats by medics to see if they were carrying the contagious SARS-like virus that has swept across China, killing four.

Experts yesterday confirmed the coronavirus is being passed between humans and has already crossed the country’s borders into Japan, Korea and Thailand.

The discovery of human-to-human transmission comes as hundreds of millions of people are crossing China in packed buses, trains and planes this week to celebrate the Lunar New Year with relatives.

Countries in Asia are stepping up defences against the spread of the mystery virus, including setting up mandatory screenings at airports of arrivals from high-risk areas.

From Bangkok to Hong Kong and from Seoul to Sydney, authorities have gone onto high-alert over the new coronavirus, following confirmation of the first case of human-to-human transmission of the deadly illness.

Four people have died in China while at least 200 more have been infected – with UK experts claiming that figure could be closer to 1,700 people.

The World Health Organization said it would meet to discuss declaring a global public health emergency over the outbreak.

At its airports in Bangkok, Chian Mai, Phuket and Krabi, Thai authorities have introduced thermal scans of passengers arriving from China.

Those passengers will be screened ‘without exemption’, health minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a statement, adding if they exhibit signs of fever they will be quarantined for 24 hours for monitoring.

A quarter of all international flights from Wuhan – the epicentre of the deadly virus – arrive in Thailand.

Around 1,300 passengers are expected each day from Wuhan over the New Year, which starts this weekend.

Thailand is desperate to avoid a damaging outbreak during peak tourist season.

So far, authorities said that two Chinese arrivals in Thailand have been found with the new strain of virus.

One person has since been discharged from hospital and has returned to China.

A seafood market in Wuhan has been identified as the centre of the virus outbreak.

Authorities there said 15 medical staff have been infected and the fourth person to die from the virus was an elderly man, 89.

Hong Kong is said to be on ‘extreme high alert’ in the city still haunted by the 2002 outbreak of Sever Acute Respiratory Syndrom (SARS) which killed nearly 650 people.

The city’s number two leader, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung, told reporters: ‘We are preparing for the worst. We have not lowered our guard.’

Hong Kong airport already routinely screens the temperatures of all passengers arriving at the airport, one of the world’s busiest.

Those arriving from Wuhan have to fill out health declarations and face fines and up to six months jail if they fail to declare symptoms.

Yesterday, hospital authorities said they would monitor anyone with a fever who bad been to Hubei province, where Wuhan is located.

Taiwan meanwhile went onto its second-highest alert level for those travelling to and from Wuhan, advising visitors to avoid visiting any live poultry markets while screening has been stepped up at airports.

China’s vast land borders with its neighbours have also come under scrutiny.

Vietnam’s health ministry has ordered more border checks as ‘the risks of infection are high’ given the daily cross-border flow of goods and people.

As fears over the reach of the outbreak mount, Australian health officials said they have restricted a man to his home after he returned from Wuhan showing symptoms of the virus – the country’s first suspected case.