KOTA KINABALU, Feb. 6 -- The Sabah government is standing firm on its one-week visa extension for Chinese nationals in the wake of its ban on direct flights from China due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said that the state had to take precautions to protect its citizens and had decided that a one-week extension would be sufficient for any stranded tourists to find a flight back to China via Kuala Lumpur.

"It's an endless kind of request. If we were to extend it for a month, they will request it for a year. It's not so easy for us to cater to them in the event that something happens," he said, adding that the state had not made the decision to ban flights from China lightly.

"We don't ha...