After months of reporting high daily numbers of new Covid-19 cases, the situation in China seems to have mellowed.
In a miraculous turn, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak recorded no new local cases on Thursday (19 Mar), reports Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Despite the good news, positive cases are still present in individuals who recently entered China from other countries.
China Global Television Network (CGTN) broke the news earlier today (19 Mar) that the country has “zero new domestically transmitted Covid-19 cases“.
Hubei, where ground zero Wuhan City is, saw a drastic drop in cases since the start of March, as evident in this graph:
China Xinhua News meanwhile announced that 819 patients have recovered and been discharged yesterday (18 Mar).
Optimistic statistics aside, China is still reporting new cases, this time in residents or visitors coming from other countries.
34 of them added to the still rising Covid-19 count on Wednesday (18 Mar). CGTN also stated that 8 more patients died the same day.
According to CNA, 21 of the 34 imported cases were reported in the capital Beijing.
Sadly, imported cases adding to the continuous rise in Covid-19 count isn’t a phenomenon specific to China.
Singapore has been recording higher spikes recently because of the same issue, with 33 of the record high 47 cases yesterday (18 Mar) coming from overseas.
The same seems to be happening elsewhere too, in places like Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The increasingly worrying development is likely why the Ministry of Health (MOH) has imposed stricter travel regulations.
From 11.59pm tomorrow (20 Mar), all travellers entering Singapore from anywhere in the world will have to serve a 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN).
All earlier travel advisories will remain in place.
Whether the rise in daily cases will slow down anytime soon remains to be seen.
As more residents return home due to travel restrictions and lockdowns worldwide, it is unlikely that we’ll see an end to this outbreak in the near future.
Till the end comes however, please be socially responsible and heed all government advisories.
The authorities and frontline workers are already working hard to fight the virus every day. All we have to do is practise good hygiene and social distancing, so let’s do our small bit for the greater good.
Featured image adapted from China Xinhua News on Twitter.
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