The new coronavirus has infected more than 110,000 people across at least 110 countries and territories, with over 4,000 deaths globally, according to the World Health Organization.
Stocks in Australia also saw sharp declines as the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 3.6% to close at 5,725.90. The day's moves left the index in bear market territory, meaning it was more than 20% lower than its 52-week high.
UBS Global Wealth Management's Kelvin Tay told CNBC there's a "semblance that production capability is actually now coming back to the Chinese economy," citing reasons such as a decline in the number of infections in the country.
The Evergreen State has 162 confirmed coronavirus cases across eight counties, but infectious disease experts say the actual number could be closer to 1,000 or more, Inslee said.
Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips said doctors, nurses and other other front-line workers are all saying, "This is coming. It's not if, it's when. And we better get ready now."
Japan has unveiled a second package of measures worth about $4 billion in spending to cope with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reported
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 bounced back strongly from an earlier drop to close 0.85% higher while the Topix index rose 1.28%. The two indexes had earlier declined more than 3% each during the Tuesday session.
"Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on a conference call Monday.
Epidemics have emerged in countries across the world, notably in Iran, Italy, and South Korea, where the number of cases and the death toll are rapidly increasing.
CNBC's Beijing Bureau Chief Eunice Yoon gives tips on how she's managed to stay healthy reporting through the coronavirus epidemic in the middle of the outbreak in China.
Oil prices plunged amid fears of a price war after OPEC failed to strike a deal with its allies on production cuts, adding to market volatility already brought about by fears surrounding the ongoing coronavirus spread.
Pyongyang has repeatedly fired projectiles over the past year and bragged about developing a new strategic weapon as relations with the Trump administration have soured.
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