TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said Wednesday (Jan. 22) it was cancelling the entry permits for 459 visitors from the Chinese city of Wuhan planning to arrive in Taiwan later this month amid the widening threat from a coronavirus.

Following the 24 groups who would see their permits cancelled, other applications from Wuhan would also be turned down by the NIA, CNA reported.

Most confirmed coronavirus cases outside of China, including one in Taiwan and cases in the United States, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macau, were either residents of Wuhan or foreign nationals who had recently visited the Chinese city.

The NIA called on residents of the Chinese province of Hubei, which includes Wuhan, to postpone travel to Taiwan. Chinese citizens already in Taiwan and Chinese students preparing to return home for the Lunar New Year holiday should take the necessary precautions, the NIA said.

