KOTA BHARU, Feb 6 (Sin Chew Daily) — A relative of the first confirmed Malaysian coronavirus case called up Sin Chew Daily to confirm that the infected man did not go to Kelantan during Chinese New Year holidays.

The relative, who insisted on anonymity, said although his wife's grandparents were still in Kelantan, she and her family had moved out of the state to stay in Kuala Lumpur long ago, adding that they had not come back to Kelantan for years.

The man's wife has tested negative for 2019 novel coronavirus but has been instructed by the health ministry to go on home quarantine pending further observation. In the meantime, his younger sister who met him during the festive holidays becomes the first locally transmitted coronavirus case in the country.