Tennis Fed Cup event moved from China amid viral illness

A worker wearing a hazardous materials suit takes the temperature of a passenger at the entrance to a subway station in Beijing, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. The new virus accelerated its spread in China, and the U.S. Consulate in the epicenter of the outbreak, the central city of Wuhan, announced Sunday it will evacuate its personnel and some private citizens aboard a charter flight. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

MELBOURNE, Australia — The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has moved a regional Fed Cup qualifying event out of China because of concerns over the outbreak of a viral illness that has already caused 56 deaths.

ITF issued a statement Sunday saying the Asia/Oceania Group 1 event scheduled for February 4-8 in Dongguan, China, would now be played at Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

“The decision to move the event to a different venue was taken due to increasing travel restrictions in China and followed consultation with independent security advisers,” ITF said in the statement.

The Fed Cup is an international women’s tennis team event. Teams from China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Uzbekistan were set to play at Dongguan. The top two teams will earn promotion to the Fed Cup playoffs in April.

The U.S. Consulate in the city at the epicenter announced it will evacuate its personnel and some private citizens aboard a charter flight.

China’s health minister said the country was entering a “crucial stage” as “it seems like the ability of the virus to spread is getting stronger.”

President Xi Jinping on Saturday called the outbreak a grave situation and said the government was stepping up efforts to restrict travel and public gatherings while rushing medical staff and supplies to the city at the center of the crisis, Wuhan, which remains on lockdown with no flights, trains or buses allowed in or out.