China yesterday reported just eight new COVID-19 cases, with no new domestic infections outside of Hubei Province, the epicenter of the global pandemic.
The Chinese National Health Commission said that there were five more people infected in Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged in December last year.
That was the lowest daily tally for Wuhan since China started reporting figures in January.
Three more imported cases from overseas were reported — two in Shanghai and one in Beijing — fueling fears about China’s strict containment measures being undone by people coming in from hotspots in other nations.
There have been 88 imported cases.
Another seven people died, bringing the national toll from the coronavirus in China to 3,172, while 80,932 people have been infected.
With new infections falling dramatically, authorities this week began to loosen some restrictions on Hubei Province’s 56 million residents, who have been under quarantine since late January.
The local government in Qianjiang, a city of 1 million, on Thursday said that it would arrange special transport to take healthy workers to their jobs both inside and outside the province.
The government in Shishou, a city of just over 500,000, was also allowing workers to leave.
Meanwhile, healthy people living in low-risk areas of the province can now travel within the province.
While Wuhan is not included in the loosening of restrictions, some of the city’s companies have been told they can resume work.
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