Wuhan begins bus services after 2 months, curbs still on
Wuhan, the epicentre of the pandemic, on Wednesday resumed bus services within the city for the first time since the start of the nine-week lockdown even as 47 new imported cases were reported from the country.
China on Tuesday decided to lift the lockdown on more than 56 million people in Hubei province. The lockdown of Hubei’s capital Wuhan will end on April 8.
Huge crowds jammed trains and buses in Hubei on Wednesday as people seized their first chance to travel after two months. Strict curbs on daily life are being lifted, allowing people to head home and see loved ones after weeks of separation.
While the province did not report any new Covid-19 case, four people died in the city taking the death toll in China to 3,281. China on Wednesday said that no new domestically transmitted case was reported on the Chinese mainland on Tuesday.
A total of 47 new imported cases were reported in the country on Tuesday, taking the total of such cases to 474.
Meanwhile, bus services began in Wuhan for the first time since January 23. The city resumed a total of 117 bus routes starting Wednesday, around 30% of the city’s total bus transport capacity.
Apart from the driver, a safety supervisor is also present on each bus whose duty is to make sure all passengers are healthy as their health code is being checked before boarding.
People in Wuhan will be allowed to leave the city and Hubei province, if they hold a green health code, meaning no contact with any infected or suspected Covid-19 cases. From Saturday, six metro lines are expected to reopen to the public.
POMPEO: CHINA STILL WITHHOLDING INFO
secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Tuesday sharpened his criticism of China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, saying its ruling Communist Party was still denying the world information it needs to prevent further cases.
In an interview, Pompeo repeated previous charges that Beijing’s delay in sharing information about the virus had created risks to people worldwide and said this had “truly put thousands of lives at risk.”
The Group of Seven (G7) big economies discussed an “intentional disinformation campaign” by China on the coronavirus in a virtual meeting on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, adding that the world still needed accurate information on the outbreak from Beijing.
The outbreak began in Wuhan, Hubei province late last year and Pompeo repeated previous charges that China had delayed sharing information.
At a State Department news conference, Pompeo said full transparency was needed to fight the new coronavirus, which he again referred to as the “Wuhan virus,” a term that has angered China. “That means full transparency by everyone, including by the Chinese Communist Party. This is a continuing challenge, we still need good information from the Chinese Communist Party about what is taking place there,” he said.