BEIJING (REUTERS) - A company in the south-western Chinese city of Chongqing has built a tunnel to spray employees at an industrial complex with disinfectant before they begin work, according to a local media report, as the country battles a coronavirus outbreak.

The tunnel is equipped with infrared detectors that activate a spray from misters when a person enters, the report by China News Service said.

Businesses in China are slowly returning to work this week after the coronavirus outbreak forced an extension of the Chinese New Year break, transportation curbs and other measures aimed at containing the virus.

The measures have hobbled the restart of industry following the annual holiday.

The coronavirus has killed more than 1,100 people in China, with confirmed infections of nearly 45,000.