News Agency
\nWUHAN, China
\nChina on Tuesday reported no new coronavirus deaths for the first time since it started publishing figures in January, just a day before it plans to lift travel curbs from the contagion\u2019s hotspot of Wuhan.
\nThe twin milestones illustrate the progress China says it has made in its all-consuming battle against the pandemic, which originated in Wuhan and spread throughout the country and the world.
\nBut the announcement comes as suspicions linger that the ruling Communist Party government \u2014 already accused of bungling the initial response to the outbreak \u2014 continues to intentionally under-report the real number of deaths and infections.
\nChina denies the suggestion.
\nBeijing imposed an unprecedented lockdown on tens of millions of people in Wuhan and the rest of Hubei province in late January in a bid to smother the virus, and the number of new domestic infections has dwindled for weeks.
\nRelief has been tempered, however, by caution over new risks: rising numbers of infected people arriving from abroad, and the invisible threat of asymptomatic cases.
\nHubei citizens had sheltered at home for more than two months until late March, when authorities began relaxing the province\u2019s isolation by allowing people to return from other regions of China.
\nOne last step comes at midnight on Tuesday, when the government will begin allowing people in the provincial capital to leave the city.
\n\u201cThe elderly are quite excited. They feel that because the lockdown will be lifted tomorrow, they can\u2019t wait to rush out (of their homes),\u201d said a 43-year-old Wuhan resident who gave only his surname, Xia.
\n\u201cI think tomorrow Wuhan will really become vibrant again,\u201d said another Wuhan resident, surnamed Yang.
\n\u201cPeople will be able to do what they need to do,\u201d she added.
\nA Wuhan government spokeswoman said that outbound travel will remain constricted for now by a drastic reduction in air and rail services to the city, imposed at the outbreak\u2019s pinnacle.
\nBut city authorities also warned that various restrictions on movement would remain to guard against a resurgence of infections.
\n\u201cMany people feel that, come April 8, they can relax a little, but actually even greater vigilance will be needed,\u201d the Hubei Daily quoted a top city official as saying.
\n\u201cAfter the lockdown is lifted it doesn\u2019t mean that neighborhoods will be totally opened, you will still have to register when coming in and out, and you need the green health QR code,\u201d a doctor surnamed Xiao said.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t think there will be a big difference from how things are now.\u201d
\nWuhan\u2019s government said Monday that 70 residential neighborhoods initially declared \u201cepidemic-free\u201d had that status revoked \u201cfor reasons including asymptomatic cases.\u201d
\nWuhan reported 34 new asymptomatic cases on Monday.
\nThe Wuhan resident surnamed Xia said that an asymptomatic case was discovered in a residential compound near his home.
\n\u201cI\u2019m a little worried because I\u2019ve also frequently had to go out to pick up parcels and grocery orders,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cEven though the lockdown will be lifted tomorrow, we should try to stay indoors as much as possible.\u201d
\nWhile new domestic infections have fallen to nil, health officials have said nearly 1,000 imported cases have been discovered in recent weeks.
\nThe National Health Commission on Tuesday reported 32 new cases nationwide in its daily update, all imported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
News Agency WUHAN, China China on Tuesday reported no new coronavirus deaths for the first time since it started publishing figures in January, just a day before it plans to lift travel curbs from the contagion\u2019s hotspot of Wuhan. The twin milestones illustrate the progress China says it has made in its all-consuming battle against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n