MANILA (REUTERS) - The Philippines' Bureau of Immigration will temporarily stop issuing tourist visas on arrival to Chinese nationals to help ensure the country remained free of the new coronavirus, its head said on Tuesday (Jan 28).

"We are taking this proactive measure to slow down travel, and possibly help prevent the entry of the 2019-nCov," Jaime Morente, the bureau's commissioner said in a statement.

The virus outbreak, which began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, has infected more than 4,000 people in China and killed more than 100.

Cases have also been confirmed in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal and the United States.