36 in Hubei, no new local infections elsewhere

Xinhua

The Chinese mainland, outside Hubei Province, reported no new locally transmitted coronavirus cases for the second day on Monday, as the outbreak epicenter Wuhan closed most of its makeshift hospitals.

China had 40 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections as of Sunday, the National Health Commission said, down from 44 cases a day earlier, and the lowest number since the health authority started publishing nationwide data on January 20.

Of the new cases, 36 were in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, while the remaining four in Gansu Province were imported from Iran.

The new cases on Sunday brought the total accumulated number of cases in China’s mainland to 80,735.

While the domestic spread of the virus has significantly slowed in recent days, authorities are mindful of risks stemming from people — foreigners and Chinese nationals — travelling back to China from new hot spots abroad.

China’s total number of imported cases hit 67 with the four Gansu cases.

A leading group of China’s COVID-19 response, led by Premier Li Keqiang, on Monday made arrangements for deepening international cooperation on epidemic prevention and control.

In the face of the challenges posed by the spread of the disease overseas, China will enhance international cooperation, the group noted.

Inbound travelers who are confirmed or suspected of being infected with the virus or are close contacts will be checked, treated and quarantined according to relevant rules, said the group, noting the particular importance for ports with high numbers of entries and exits such as Beijing to work meticulously on epidemic prevention.

Zhong Nanshan, head of the NHC’s team investigating the COVID-19 outbreak, said it would persist globally until at least June.

Meanwhile, public facilities are slowly getting back to normal.

Wuhan on Monday suspended another public-facility-turned temporary hospital.

The last batch of 34 patients walked out of the temporary Jianghan hospital at 3pm, waving farewell to the medics.

“Your discharge marks the closure of the temporary hospital of Jianghan,” said Hu Yu, president of the Wuhan Union Hospital that ran Jianghan over the past 34 days, when handing a hospital discharge certificate to a woman surnamed Guo.

Guo was admitted to the hospital on March 2 when she felt discomfort around her throat. “Medics here are very nice. I felt as if I was staying in a big family rather than a hospital,” Guo said.

The closure of the temporary hospital of Jianghan, which was converted from the existing international exhibition center of Wuhan, has brought the number of closed makeshift hospitals in the city to 14.

The other two temporary hospitals remaining in operation are expected to close on Tuesday, the city’s COVID-19 control headquarters said.

Hubei Airport Group ordered all airports in the province to get back to work by Thursday. Wuhan’s Tianhe International Airport — which suspended flights on January 23 except for airlifts for foreigners — said in a statement it was preparing to resume work, taking measures such as staff training, equipment maintenance and security inspections. It did not give a date for the resumption of commercial operations.

Swedish furniture giant Ikea has reopened 16 of its stores with shorter opening hours in China, after closing all outlets in late January, it said.

Meanwhile, some regions are gearing up to reopen schools this week, after more than a month of closures.

Qinghai Province, spread across the Tibetan Plateau, announced in late February that high schools and vocational schools would resume gradually from Monday.

Middle schools would reopen later in the month.

The southwest Guizhou Province has also said some students in high school and middle school would resume classes from March 16.