(Yicai Global) Jan. 24 -- Consumers in China can cancel their domestic travel plans during the Chinese New Year holiday for free due to the quickly spreading novel coronavirus-caused pneumonia.

Travelers can get full refunds for flight bookings, long-distance bus rides, as well as train and boat trips, starting from today, the Ministry of Transport, China State Railway Group, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement yesterday. They didn't specify the travel period but the public holiday ends on Jan. 30.

By last night, China had 830 confirmed cases of the new respiratory illness in 29 administrative regions, with a death toll of 25, the country's health authorities said in a statement today. Most of the deaths took place in Central China's Hubei province but one was nearly 1,000 kilometers away in North China's Hebei province. 

Editor: Emmi Laine