Anticipating potential coronavirus reinfection, China locks down a region

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A county in the south of China’s capital has implemented lockdown measures for potential reoccurrence of coronavirus outbreak.
• Residents of the region are urged to stay home, and businesses are temporarily closed as three new individuals were tested positive for COVID-19.
• The U.S accused China of under-declaring its number of people who got infected and died because of coronavirus. 

According to some reports, a province located in central China has implemented a medium coverage lockdown over fears of coronavirus reinfection as Beijing continues effort to recover from the outbreak and recuperate from the crisis 

Approximately 600,000 locals adjacent to Pingdingshan city in the county of Jia were advised to stay home as restriction measures are to start on Tuesday.

Part of the Henan province, Jia is situated 500 miles from south Beijing. On its north is Hubei province, which was earlier reported as the place where the outbreak began in December 2019.

Posted on microblog site of the county was an advisory that special permits are required before leaving home, wearing of a mask, and residents must have a temperature check, as reported by South China Morning Post.

Also, only individuals who possess special permits can go to work, while cars are allowed to travel on alternate days based on its license plate number.

An anonymous official from Jia’s transport office told the outlet that the county would be closed, and no one is permitted to go in or leave.

Meanwhile, commercial establishments in the region have ceased operations, except for medical suppliers, food industry, utilities, and logistics businesses

Jia resident, Wang Xiao, 23, commented on the news site that the local authorities informed them Tuesday about the restrictions.

Wang added that locals were advised to be ready with enough supplies, and only one person is allowed to buy at the grocery for once in every couple of days.

The 23-year-old also expressed her concerns since there were three new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, and that the hospital is so close where she lived.

The new quarantine measures came as a little bit of surprise as China already proclaimed a significant drop in the number of coronavirus cases.

Earlier, China government enforced strict procedures in Wuhan, which was considered the epicentre of the outbreak. Other cities followed suit during the outbreak’s first week.

During these periods, millions of people stayed home and isolated, and cities were closed down as China fought to contain the pandemic.

The U.S has recently claimed that Beijing has not been completely honest on reporting the number of people infected and death caused by COVID-19 in the country.

On Wednesday, the United Nations commended China for disclosing the genetic sequence of coronavirus. Still, the U.N noted that the republic didn’t report the first case tested positive, up until they were compelled to.

Source: New York Post