Malaysian Rail Project Tells Some Staff to Work From Home in China’s Wuhan

A woman wearing protective face mask walks on a street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus in China, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Feb. 17, 2020. Lim Huey Teng/Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR—The contractor for a Malaysian rail project that is part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) initiative has advised some Chinese staff to work remotely while a coronavirus outbreak delays their return from holidays, a company official said on Feb. 18.

Malaysia has barred the return of 13 managerial staff on the $11-billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) after they returned to China’s central province of Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, during their Lunar New Year holidays.