TIANJIN, China (China Daily/ANN): A total of 16 Malaysians and Bolivians, who were passengers on a flight together with two confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, are under isolation and observation in a hotel in Dongli district, Tianjin.

They were passengers from the Malindo Air Flight Number OD688 from Sabah, Malaysia, which arrived in Tianjin on Jan 25.

Upon their arrival, all 31 passengers together with the flight crewmembers were directly taken to a hotel for isolation, as three passengers on the flight were reported to have fever.

The first case on the flight, confirmed on Jan 26, was a person aged 71 from Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic, who had travelled to Malaysia from Jan 19-25.

On Wednesday (Jan 29) morning, the city confirmed the 25th case of novel coronavirus, the second person on the same flight.

He was a local resident from Wuhan who travelled to Malaysia from Jan 19-25.

Currently, all crewmembers and passengers have been isolated in a hotel in Dongli district, Tianjin, and the whole hotel has been closed.

According to Zhang Shixi, vice-director, Dongli district health committee, the isolated individuals are under strict observation and provided with stringent and high-level medical services from Tianjin Traditional Medicine Hospital.

Currently, a total of 13 doctors are in service and the body temperatures of the isolated individuals average from 36-37 degrees Celsius, the hospital said.

The hotel is now under regular sanitation and the district is providing abundant water, food, cleaning and living supplies for the isolated individuals. All the rubbish from the hotel is under strict treatment, China Daily reported.

On Friday (Jan 24) six Malindo Air crew members from another Malindo flight from Kuala Lumpur to Zhengzhou were placed in quarantine after a passenger from Hubei province was suspected of contracting the coronavirus. - China Daily/Asia News Network