Imported cases keep rising in China as students return home
BEIJING: China on Thursday reported a second consecutive day of no new domestic coronavirus cases as the country’s epidemic epicentre Hubei province opened its sealed borders after weeks, allowing hundreds of people to step out for the first time in several weeks.
However, imported Covid-19 cases rose sharply on Wednesday, fuelling fears of a second infection wave across China riding on overseas returnees.
A total of 67 new cases were reported as of Wednesday, up from 47 a day earlier, all of which were from outside, China’s national health commission (NHC) said on Thursday. It took the total number of imported cases to 541 on the mainland.
The total number of cases now stands at 81,285 while the NHC reported a total of 3,287 deaths at the end of Wednesday - up by six from the previous day.
Following the measures taken by Beijing, authorities in Shanghai announced that starting on Thursday, people entering the city from abroad will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine.
China’s vice foreign minister Luo Zhaohui said on Thursday that around 90% of China’s imported cases are Chinese passport holders and 40% of them were students.
The Chinese foreign ministry, its embassies and hotlines have received about 70,000 phone calls from overseas Chinese nationals regarding the pandemic, Luo said at a press conference in Beijing.
“Effectively curbing the rise of imported Covid-19 cases has become a priority of China’s epidemic prevention and control,” Luo said.
The minister urged Chinese overseas students not to venture to places with high infection risks and avoid non-essential travel.
“We understand some overseas students are eager to come home. But under the current circumstances, by staying put, they can avoid being cross-infected in the hurried journey home or getting stuck mid-journey when the countries they transit in tighten border controls,” Luo said.