Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, on Monday reported its first cluster of infections since a lockdown on the city was lifted a month ago, stoking concerns of a wider resurgence of the disease.
The new infections sounded a note of caution amid efforts to ease coronavirus-related restrictions across China as businesses restart and individuals get back to work.
Wuhan reported five new confirmed cases, all from the same residential compound. One was the wife of an 89-year-old patient reported a day earlier in the first confirmed case in the central city in more than a month.
"At present, the task of epidemic prevention and control in the city is still very heavy," the Wuhan health authority said.
"We must resolutely contain the risk of a rebound."
All of the latest cases were previously classified as asymptomatic, people who test positive for the virus and are capable of infecting others but do not show clinical signs such as a fever.
The number of asymptomatic cases in China is not known, as they only appear on the radar of health officials when they show up positive during tests conducted as part of contact tracing and health checks.
China does not include asymptomatic cases in its overall tally of confirmed cases, now at 82,918, until they exhibit signs of infection. Mainland China has reported 4,633 deaths.
Hundreds of asymptomatic cases in Wuhan, which was released on April 8 from a months-long lockdown, are being monitored.
The numbers of new cases reported in China since April have been small compared with the thousands confirmed every day in February, thanks to a nationwide regime of screening, testing and quarantine.
The government said on Friday that cinemas, museums and other venues would gradually be reopened, although restrictions including mandatory reservations and a limit on numbers of visitors would be in place.
-
Nepalese Buddhist monks attend their class, respecting social distancing, at a monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. EPA -
A man looks on as migrant laborers returning from other states, many of whom have been walking and hitchhiking travel on the back of a truck as they try to reach their native villages in Prayagraj, India. AP Photo -
Protesters opposed to lockdown measures implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) clash with police outside Parliament House in Melbourne, Australia. REUTERS -
Pianist Rodrigo Cunha serenades from an open truck the lonely mothers in quarantine as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Sao Paulo, Brazil. REUTERS -
Catholic priest Reginaldo Manzotti gives Holy Communion to a woman at a drive-thru system on Mother's Day, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Curitiba, Brazil. REUTERS -
People exercice in Madrid during the hours allowed by the government to exercise, amid the national lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease. AFP -
Members of a coronavirus testing station stand on the factory premises of the Westfleisch meat processing company in Hamm, western Germany, as all workers of the company have to be tested on the novel coronavirus after a spike in cases at their slaughterhouse. AFP -
Members of the congregation wearing protective face masks observe social distancing as they attend a Sunday service at the Berliner Dom cathedral in Berlin. AFP -
A manlift crane elevates relatives of elderly residents of Santo Antonio retirement house in Figueira da Foz, to allow them meeting but keeping their social distance, Portugal. AFP -
Relatives and friends of a mechanic called Roberto, who died at a hospital with symptoms of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 and did not have a wake before his burial, cry at the Milagro de Dios Cemetery in Managua. AFP -
Pastor Abednego T. Kendema offer prayers during a service at his home at Mount Barclay community, a suburb of Monrovia, Liberia. According to reports, the government of Liberia has closed down schools and the major churches have suspended services after the first two cases of COVID-19 were announced in the country. The government ordered the compulsory wearing of face masks and has extended the Stay Home order by two weeks, and proposed to reopen mosques and churches, on 17 May 2020 with restrictions. EPA -
A soldier takes the body temperature of residents as they queue for free rice provided by the government for those whose livelihoods are affected by the new coronavirus outbreak, at the Central Jakarta Military District Command, in Jakarta, Indonesia. AP Photo
The financial hub of Shanghai has reopened some night spots, and Walt Disney reopened its Shanghai Disneyland park on Monday to a reduced number of visitors.
New outbreaks in China in the past two months have mainly developed in residential compounds or at hospitals.
The national health authority called for stronger protocols at laboratories handling samples of coronavirus strains and human nucleic acid tests, and said tests should be carried out under appropriate laboratory settings.
Transport of samples and material that could be infectious must be strictly managed and accounted for, the National Health Commission said.
The news of new infections at the global ground zero came as many European nations begin the tricky task of navigating out of lockdowns imposed to halt the spread of the virus.
It also came as swathes of the US ease restrictions on movement – despite still rising rates of infection – and as citizens chafe under rules many say are government overreach.
The virus has now infected more than four million people worldwide, claiming more than 280,000 lives, and damaged the global economy.
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.
More pupils returned to school in Beijing on Monday, weeks after senior high school students were allowed to return to campuses in the capital.
China has faced criticism at home and abroad for downplaying the virus and concealing information about the outbreak when it first emerged in Wuhan. Doubt has also been cast over the official toll.
Beijing has insisted it has always shared information with the World Health Organisation and other countries in a timely manner.
