Covid curbs in China as EU reopens
INFECTIONS CROSS 8MN Chinese epidemiologist says new wave of outbreak could have come from Europe; EU nations open borders only to European citizens
BEIJING/BRUSSELS: Global Covid-19 cases crossed 8 million on Monday even as several EU nations reopened borders to fellow Europeans, while China battled a new outbreak amid fears of a second wave.
More than 8 million people have been infected and at least 430,000 died, according to the tracking website Worldometer.
In Beijing, new cases shot up to 79 in four days prompting lockdowns in several residential communities, sealing of markets and suspension of outdoor activities.
None of the 16 Beijing districts are under complete lockdown but checks and restrictions have returned to the Chinese capital. The government has advised residents to avoid crowded places and group gatherings.
Several Chinese provinces are stepping up inspections of fresh and frozen meat and seafood, including imported products. China is the world’s top meat buyer, bringing in almost 4mn tonnes in the year to date.
The cluster infection are linked to the Xinfadi wholesale market, as big as 160 football fields and many times bigger than the Wuhan seafood market where the virus first emerged last year.
An epidemiologist with the Beijing government has said that a DNA sequencing of the virus showed the Xinfadi outbreak could have come from Europe.
According to the state-controlled CGTN channel, over 8,000 staff members at Xinfadi have been tested and moved to designated areas for observation. For another 90,000 people in 21 communities near Xinfadi market in the Fengtai district and Yuquandong market in the Haidian district, “closed-off management” has been activated, meaning no one is allowed to enter or exit.
“The next three days will be a critical time for Beijing to face the epidemic, and the number of cases reported in the city during the next three days will determine the trend of the epidemic. If the numbers do not increase...the epidemic will basically remain stable”, Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told CCTV on Monday.
Governments in other parts of China warned residents against non-essential travel to the capital, and implemented isolation protocols for some visitors from Beijing.
The World Health Organization said on Sunday it was informed of the outbreak and an investigation by Chinese officials. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, asked whether China had shared data with the WHO about the cluster, told reporters he was not aware of the specifics but China and the WHO were in close communication.
Meanwhile in Europe, where caseloads have declined in recent weeks, governments are keen to ease painful lockdowns. Belgium, France, Germany, Greece and Ukraine lifted border restrictions on Monday, while Paris cafes and restaurants were allowed to fully reopen. In Italy, deaths rose by 26 on Monday against 44 the day before, marking the lowest fatalities since March 2.
The pandemic is gathering pace in Latin America, while Iran and India have reported worrying increases in deaths and infections - adding to concern over challenges the world will face in the long fight against Covid-19.
The United States - by far the hardest-hit country with more than 115,700 recorded fatalities on Sunday reported its lowest 24-hour death toll since its infection rate peaked in mid-april.
The US administration has noted that some states have seen new flare-ups, but insists there will be no shutdown of the economy even if a new wave arises.