Hubei gets back to work after coronavirus lockdown lifted in most of province

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People wearing face masks queue up outside to buy tickets at the railway station in Macheng, in Chinas central Hubei province
AFP via Getty Images
Luke O'Reilly25 March 2020

Most of Hubei province has lifted its severe coronavirus lockdown restrictions after social isolation measures appeared to curb Covid-19 cases.

While the province's capital Wuhan remains under lockdown until April 8, employees have been told to return to work in the rest of the province.

It follows a relaxing of social distancing measures in Beijing, where people could be seen hugging each other on the streets for the first time in weeks.

Meanwhile, Europe has become the new epicentre for the virus, with deaths in Italy surpassing those of China, where the flu began.

Employees eat their lunch while staying 2 meters away from each other at the Dongfeng Fengshen plant on March 24, 2020 in Wuhan, Hubei province
Getty Images

The rest of China has also reported a drop in new confirmed coronavirus cases as imported infections fell and no locally transmitted infections were reported.

The Hubei government on Wednesday told workers who had been quarantined at home to go back to work as soon as possible.

People were also able to leave Hubei by train and bus, while the Wudang Mountains, a top scenic site, reopened for visitors, according to state media.

Passengers wearing face masks travel with their belongings at a railway station in Xianning of Hubei province
REUTERS

Hubei Party Secretary Ying Yong said on Tuesday that while the lifting of traffic restrictions means life is gradually getting back to normal, the government will continue to work hard to prevent a rebound in infections as population movements increase.

To prevent a surge in imported cases, China is ramping up quarantine and screening rules for all international arrivals.

The city of Quanzhou in Fujian province will cancel all international and regional flights, starting on March 26, after four imported cases from the Philippines were found on Tuesday.

The Quanzhou Jinjiang international airport will cancel 17 routes including those connecting Manila, Hong Kong, and Macau, the Fujian government said in a notice.

Beijing has already diverted flights to other cities where passengers will be screened and quarantined.

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The number of new coronavirus cases in China totalled 47 on Tuesday, all of which were from travellers returning home, down from 78 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said.

New imported cases in Beijing, Guangdong and Fujian declined, though the daily tally of new imported infections rose to a record 19 cases in the financial hub of Shanghai.

New cases of infected international arrivals were also reported in the city of Tianjin, the Inner Mongolia region, and the provinces of Jiangsu, Sichuan, Jilin, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Shaanxi.

In Hubei, no new infections were reported despite three new deaths, including two in Wuhan, where the virus first appeared late last year. On Wednesday, local authorities downgraded Wuhan's epidemic risk level from "high" to "medium".

The Hubei Health Commission announced it would lift curbs on outgoing travellers starting March 25, provided they had a health clearance code.

The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China stands at 81,218, with 474 imported infections. The death toll in mainland China reached 3,281 as of the end of Tuesday, up by four from the previous day.

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