Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a stop sign and a plane approaching to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Chinese authorities on March 16 suggested that residents on the mainland not travel abroad amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, particularly to countries hit hard by the pandemic.

Officials with the National Health Commission and the National Immigration Administration made the remarks at a press conference.

As of Sunday, over 140 countries and regions worldwide have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19.