How big a threat are imported infections ?
China alerted to mind more countries in Asia, Europe on brink of virus outbreak
China’s National Health Commission on Friday announced that 16 out of the 17 new COVID-19 cases in China (outside of Hubei Province) reported on Thursday were infections of foreign origin – 11 were detected in Gansu Province from Iran, four in Beijing from Italy and one in Shanghai from Iran, further worrying the public of the risk of infections from overseas.
Shanghai on Friday reported three more imported cases of COVID-19 by noontime from Iran, and Shenzhen in Guangdong Province on Friday reported the city’s second imported case, from Spain, bringing the total number of imported infections to 40 nationwide.
While China’s efforts to prevent and control the coronavirus have scored remarkable effects, new warnings are being issued overseas with ascending numbers of infections reported every day, making the risk of imported outbreaks in China an urgent issue.
Officials from East China’s Zhejiang Province said on Friday it will put preventing imported cases of COVID-19 as a top priority. Zhejiang so far reported 1,215 cases of coronavirus infection as of Friday morning, within which 10 cases were of foreign origin.
Media reported all of the imported cases these days are sent directly from airports to designated places, which demonstrates China’s more robust precaution system.
In addition to countries that are being haunted by coronavirus which include Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan, China should also pay attention to other countries including Kuwait, Bahrain, Thailand and Cambodia, and also parts of Europe, Wang Peiyu, associate dean of the School of Public Health at Peking University, told the Global Times.
There are two major ways to prevent imported cases, Wang said. “One is to conduct strict temperature checks and register past travel history at the time of entry. y And the other is to urge citizens to avoid void going to coun countries with major out outbreaks.”
Over a period of 24 hours on Monday, the there were a total of 420 20 flflights flights betwee between China and 32 countries, including 85 flights between China and South Korea, and the flight conducting rate was down to 23.10 percent, according to domestic aviation data provider Feeyo Technology Co.
Data also showed that from February 25 to Tuesday, the majority of flights arriving in China from South Korea landed in Beijing, Qingdao in Shandong, Shenyang in Liaoning and Yanji in Jilin. Most flights from Japan arrived in cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou in Guangdong and Dalian in Liaoning. Domestic airports have strengthened the management of arrivals from countries and regions with severe epidemic situations, according to documents the Global Times obtained.
Currently, China faces several battlefields as it is a highly globalized economy and it is impossible to ban all visitors from entering, Chen Xi, an assistant professor of public health at Yale University, told the Global Times. “The most important task is to quickly identify risks at the entry point. The government can also consider requisitioning some facilities near major airports for the purpose of implementing quarantines for passengers with higher risks.”
Statistics from National Customs showed that before Thursday a total of 6,728 passengers entering China had shown symptoms, of whom 75 later tested positive for the virus.
How big is the risk of imported coronavirus? Where are imported cases coming from?
The Global Times has exclusively investigated the situation on the ground in Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan, the US and France to find answers.
“Italians are still singing songs and dancing [without being influenced by the coronavirus], but the Chinese are horrified,” said Li Na, a Chinese national who runs a bar in Italy.
Li said more than 200,000 Chinese nationals live in Italy, mostly from Lishui and Wenzhou in East China’s Zhejiang Province and many operate clothing factories or service businesses. Li told the Global Times that not many Chinese people from Zhejiang that she knows in Italy have returned home due to the outbreak. “But many are planning to return or have booked flights,” she said.
Li said this is because the outbreak is spreading rapidly in Italy, but the country’s lax policies for epidemic control are at odds with the Chinese people’s sense of protection.
On Sunday and Monday, eight imported cases were confirmed in Zhejiang, all people returning from Italy with the same destination – Qingtian county in Lishui, which is known as the “hometown of overseas Chinese.”
Lishui Daily reported on Friday the federation of returned overseas Chinese in Lishui has cautioned Lishui residents overseas that “there have been distressing cases of cross-infection on international flights back home.”
Li lives in a city just 20 kilometers from where Italy’s first confirmed case was reported. “At first the atmosphere was very tense, but within just two days it changed. I think it has something to do with the propaganda from the local government. At the height of the outbreak in China, Italy was also nervous, updating the numbers of confirmed cases every day. But when it was its own turn, it relaxed and now a lot of Italian people think this is just a normal flu,” Li said.
“My pub has been closed for over 10 days,” Li said. She said Chinese in Italy are generally nervous and a lot have closed their shops. But when they look around and see the measures taken by the Italian government and society, which are not strong, they are worried.
Many regions of Zhejiang have begun to strictly control the return of overseas Chinese. An official with Qingtian county said that they have assigned personnel to airports in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Wenzhou to pick up people returning from overseas and take them to designated quarantine locations. No matter which country they return from, they will be taken to the county’s medical observation site to undergo a 14-day quarantine.
The official said the quarantine site now houses people who have returned from Italy and Spain. The preventive efforts in Qingtian have also been stepped up, with health monitoring points established at necessary entrances and exits and staff on duty 24 hours a day.