The coronavirus has infected hundreds of people in Chinese prisons, authorities said on Friday, contributing to a jump in reported cases beyond the epicenter in Hubei province, including 100 more in South Korea and a worsening outbreak in Italy. U.S. stock indexes fell after data showed U.S. business activity stalled in February, and the rise in new cases sent investors scrambling for safe havens such as gold and government bonds. A total of 234 infections among Chinese prisoners outside Hubei ended 16 straight days of declines in new mainland cases. Another 271 cases were reported in prisons in Hubei – where the virus first emerged in December in its now locked-down capital, Wuhan. State television quoted Communist Party rulers as saying the outbreak had not yet peaked, and more than 30 cases in a hospital in Beijing highlighted a sharp jump there. Total cases of the […]