The global death toll from the new coronavirus passed 4,000 on Tuesday, according to AFP figures, as China reported 17 new deaths.

The toll reached 4,011 in the outbreak that has spread to over 100 countries with more than 110,000 cases of infection.

The epidemic has disrupted global travel and forced the cancellation of everything from conferences to sporting events.

But in China, new cases have steadily declined in recent weeks, in a sign that the country's unprecedented lockdown measures appear to be working.

There were just 19 fresh cases reported on Tuesday, the lowest number since the government started tallying infections on January 21, according to the National Health Commission.

All the new infections were in the virus epicentre, the central city of Wuhan, except for two imported cases brought in from overseas.

This means there were no indigenous cases in the rest of the country.

The 17 new deaths were all in central Hubei province -- 16 in Wuhan, the capital of the province -- bringing the country's nationwide toll to 3,136.

It is the lowest daily toll since late January.

More than 80,750 people have now been infected in China, which has imposed unprecedented lockdown measures to try to control the spread of the virus.

But fears are growing that as cases of the disease grow overseas, China's progress could be undermined by the virus being brought back into the country from other nations.

There have now been 69 imported cases, according to Chinese health officials.

The World Health Organization said Monday that more than 70 percent of those infected with the new coronavirus in China have recovered, adding that the country was "bringing its epidemic under control".

And there were tentative signs in recent days that some of the measures to restrict the movement and gathering of people could be lifted, with some regions reopening schools or announcing dates to resume classes.

Most of the 16 makeshift hospitals opened in Wuhan have been closed -- with the last two expected to shut Tuesday.

And Shanghai Disney said it was reopening its shopping and entertainment Disneytown zone in the "first step of a phased reopening", although the amusement park remains closed.

China closes makeshift hospitals as virus cases plunge
Beijing (AFP) March 9, 2020 - China has closed most of the makeshift hospitals opened to receive coronavirus patients in the epidemic's epicentre as the number of new infections in the country hit a record low.

There were 40 new cases nationwide, the National Health Commission said Monday, the lowest number of fresh cases since it started reporting the data in January.

Most of the new cases, as well as 22 new deaths, were in Hubei, the central province at the epicentre of the outbreak.

The deaths -- which were all in Hubei except one -- bring the country's toll to 3,119.

More than 80,700 people have been infected in total in mainland China.

New infections reported from Hubei have been on a downward trend for several weeks.

On Monday, all the new cases in the province were in the capital city Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December.

In Wuhan, nearly 31,000 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital, the provincial government said.

Eleven of the 16 makeshift hospitals in Wuhan converted from public facilities including stadiums and schools were suspended by Sunday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Two of the most recent makeshift hospitals to be closed -- a converted sports centre and a factory -- had enough capacity for nearly 2,000 patients at a time.

The two hospitals discharged a final batch of 61 patients on Sunday, Xinhua said.

New infections in China have been generally declining in recent weeks as the country's draconian measures appear to be working.

A senior government official hinted last week that China could soon lift the lockdown on the province imposed in late January, which has effectively restricted the movement of some 56 million people in Hubei.

The only new cases outside Hubei were four imported from overseas, the health commission said, bringing the total of imported infections brought into the country to 67.

The rise in imported cases is raising fears that the country's progress in bringing infections down could be undone, and several local authorities are imposing quarantines on those arriving from hard-hit areas.

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