China has expanded sweeping efforts to contain a viral disease by postponing the end of this week’s Lunar New Year holiday to keep the public at home and avoid spreading infection as the death toll rose to 80.

The Year of the Rat begins on January 25th and with it comes the exchange of red envelopes to mark the occasion.

A new pneumonia-like illness has health authorities on the alert as new cases are discovered in more countries, including the United States. Health experts say the coronavirus is not as deadly as SARS, but is still highly contagious.