The ministry issued the warning on Wednesday after a Japanese coach driver was reported to have been infected with the novel coronavirus while driving a Chinese tour group from Wuhan city.
Thirty-seven of the 38 new deaths came in hard-hit Hubei province, the epicentre of a contagion that is causing mounting global fear.
China said on Monday that the death toll from a deadly viral outbreak spiked to 80 as the hard-hit epicentre province of Hubei suffered 24 new fatalities, while total confirmed cases nationwide rose sharply to 2,744
