China on Friday reported no new local cases of the deadly coronavirus for a second straight day, but its progress against the disease was confronted by another increase in imported infections.

The country’s drop in cases offers a ray of hope for the rest of the world as a slew of other nations go into lockdown in an effort to emulate China’s tactic against the disease.

The number of deaths in China has also slowed dramatically, with the National Health Commission reporting only three new fatalities, the lowest daily increase since it started publishing figures in January.

In a grim milestone showing how the crisis has moved from Asia to Europe, China’s death toll, now at 3,248, was overtaken on Thursday by Italy, where more than 3,400 people have now died.

There have been nearly 81,000 infections in China but fewer than 7,000 people remain sick with the COVID-19 disease.

The virus is believed to have emerged in an animal market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December.

Some 56 million people in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province were locked down in late January, but authorities are progressively easing the travel curbs as cases have dwindled.

But China is now worried about a second wave of infections coming from abroad, prompting several regions including Beijing to force international arrivals to go into 14-day quarantine.

The health commission reported 39 more imported cases on Friday, raising the total to 228.

– AFP

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

Cost of living – expats vs locals

By Andrew Loh Even as Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister…

Why are novelists either really rich or really poor?

by SingSaver One interesting facet of writers – in particular novelists –…

建议立法打假消息  政府接受特委会报告

研究网络假消息问题的国会特选委员会,于本月19日将涵盖22建议、厚达300页的报告提呈国会,其中阐明蓄意散播网络假消息对新加坡构成的威胁,并建议多管齐下应对问题。 政府原则上接受这些建议,并考虑立法制裁散播假消息者,并建立有公信力的信息求证联盟,及时推翻假消息。 特委会主席张有福表示,特委会有10名委员,一致同意报告内容。 切断散播假消息者收入来源 特委会理解,针对严重且普及的课题,没有单一解决方案,必须有一系列的应对措施,其中包括立法管制,对蓄意散播网络假消息者,展开刑事制裁,并切断他们收入来源。 特委会成员、通讯及新闻部兼交通部高级政务部长普杰立医生: “特委会从陈情书及听证会中搜集到的证据显示,蓄意散播网络假信息现象对于我国而言是“切实且严峻的问题”,威胁国家安全。 蓄意散播网络假信息者“占据上风”,因为相较于事实,这类信息传播得更远更快,且较难根除。 需力度相当的措施,来对抗这种不对称现象。我们也研究了英法等国的做法,尽管各国想法不尽相同,但大家原则上都同意,今时今日的法律必须更新,以适应数码时代。”   法律不是万灵丹 但特委会也强调,法律既不是万灵丹,也不可采取一刀切的做法,将所有假信息的散播列为刑事罪。…

International Press Institute calls for Singapore Elections Department to drop complaint against New Naratif

The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives…