China’s new infections mainly from travellers
Coronavirus infections in China are subsiding, with locally transmitted cases dwindling to just one for the second consecutive day, health authorities reported yesterday.
Imported infections outnumbered domestic transmissions for the fifth straight day, with 12 confirmed cases on Wednesday owing to travellers arriving from abroad into transport hubs including Beijing and Shanghai.
Yesterday, the global tally of cases rose to more than 214,000 and more than 8700 people have died from the virus.
Health authorities in Asia are now working to defend against the risk of a fresh outbreak from travellers importing the virus.
In China, all international arrivals to Beijing, and several other cities, are now mandated to quarantine for 14 days. Domestic travel also triggers quarantine restrictions.
Upon landing in Beijing, passengers are required to undergo health checks, registration of personal details, and baggage disinfection, before being cleared to go on to their final destinations or sent to quarantine at designated government facilities.
Taiwan has banned entry to foreigners after a sudden surge in cases linked to people coming to the island from abroad, largely Europe and North Africa.
Anyone arriving from another country will face 14 days of home quarantine, though foreign resident permit holders and diplomats are exempt. About 16,000 arrivals from high-risk areas who arrived between March 5-14 have been required to self-isolate.
The government has also asked Taiwanese citizens to refrain from travelling unless absolutely necessary.
South Korea is also seeing infections on the decline, with new daily cases falling below 100 for the fourth day yesterday, offering hope after hitting an alarming peak of 909 cases in one day last month.
The country has more than 8,400 cases, but only 84 deaths so far, well below the global average.
Experts believe one of the key factors in South Korea’s success so far has been mass testing, allowing authorities to quickly isolate those infected. Since it saw its first cases in late January, South Korea has tested more than 270,000 people, more than any other country in Asia.
Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s civilian leader, has been accused of misleading the public with a false sense of security after she insisted the country had no coronavirus cases.
A government spokesman said the population’s ‘‘lifestyle’’ and ‘‘diet’’ protected them from the disease.
Human Rights Watch condemned the claims as ‘‘irresponsible’’ and defying reality.
‘‘The last thing Myanmar’s people want from their government is another cover-up. Being transparent, providing factual information in a timely way, and dropping half-baked theories of national exceptionalism to a global pandemic is what’s needed,’’ the group said.
– Telegraph Group