Highlights:
- Fresh COVID-19 cases in China send fears among the experts
- Experts say shifting back to normal routine too quickly could be catastrophic
China has reported new cases for the 2nd consecutive days in Wuhan today after a month without any infection from the pandemic which has brought the whole to its knees. This is offering a stark warning of the danger of a second wave.
The novel Coronavirus which emerged in December last year swept through the city and the surrounding Hubei province and killed thousands and infected many more.
Authorities in the Wuhan imposed draconian restrictions on movement including travel which turned out to be very successful for the country to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
Though the lockdown brought ease to the country, as the authorities said that the virus was under control, recently children started going back to the school and travel from and to the city was also opened.
On Sunday, the authorities saw one person testing positive for the virus in Wuhan and one day later they saw 5 more cases.
Health officers said that the new cases were reported from a single residential compound and were mostly elderly people.
There were also 11 new “asymptomatic” vases which have been reported in the Hubei province in China. The country is recording asymptomatic and symptomatic cases separately.
The news of the fresh infections comes when many European countries have begun the tricky task of navigating out of the lockdowns imposed by them to contain the spread of the pandemic.
It also comes as strips of the United States ease restrictions on movement – in spite of rising rates of infection – and as citizens chafe under rules many say are government overreach.
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Health experts warn that too hasty a return to normal could spark a second wave of infections, and point out that restrictions will have to remain until there is a vaccine.
At least 11 cases connected to a local laundry worker were reported over the weekend, according to state broadcaster CCTV, warning the citywide lockdown of Shulan, which has a population of almost 6,70,000 people.
As of today, Coronavirus has infected almost 42 lakh or 4.2 million people globally out of which more than 2.8 lakh or 280,000 people have lost their lives.
The total number infected in China is around 83,000, with more than 4,600 dead.
No new deaths have been reported nationwide for nearly a month, with life in China gradually returning to normal after months of disruption.
On Monday, Shanghai Disneyland was reopened, while the national government has already given the green signal last week to the cinemas and sports venues to resume operations.
China has faced massive criticism from both overseas and within the national borders for downplaying the virus and hiding the information about the outbreak when it first emerged in Wuhan.
Doubt has also been cast over the official toll.
Beijing is claiming that it has always shared information with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other countries promptly.
