Hong Kong on Tuesday announced that all classes in schools will be further suspended until at least April 19 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Many students in the semiautonomous Chinese city haven't been to school since before the Lunar New Year Holiday, which began on January 22, though they are continuing their studies via online learning.

The two new cases involved a man and a woman, both aged 57, who recently returned from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined for two weeks in Japan.

Treble hit for economy: The coronavirus outbreak that originated across the border in mainland China has taken its toll on Hong Kong, coming after months of increasingly violent anti-government protests and a US-China trade war that pushed the city into a recession last year for the first time in a decade.

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The virus has hit the tourism and restaurant sector hard, and caused shops, theme parks, cultural attractions and other hotspots to close. The government has asked civil servants to work from home and urged private companies to do the same with their employees.

Airlines under pressure: Hong Kong is also a major regional and international transport hub, especially for Japan and South Korea -- two countries that have seen their own outbreaks of the virus. Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific has asked its 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave, citing a "significant" drop in demand for flights caused by the virus.

Living at close quarters: The city is home to around 7.5 million people, with much of the population living in tiny apartments stacked on top of one another in giant high-rises -- presenting a possible spreading risk.

Economic woes aside, the extended school closures show the government is trying to make sure Hong Kong's outbreak does not get to the level seen in Japan or South Korea.