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The city of Wuhan, the epicenter of China’s new coronavirus pandemic, has reported its first cluster of infections since a blockade was lifted there a month ago, fueling concerns of a broader resurgence of the disease.
The new infections sounded cautious amid efforts to ease coronavirus-related restrictions in China as businesses restart and people return to work.
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Wuhan reported five new confirmed cases on Monday, all from the same residential complex. 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.
“Currently, the task of epidemic prevention and control in the city is still very heavy,” the Wuhan Health Authority said in a statement.
“We must resolutely contain the risk of a rebound.”
All of the latter 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 fever.
The number of asymptomatic cases in China is unknown, as they only appear on the radar of health officials when they show positives during tests conducted as part of tracking contacts and health checks.
China does not include asymptomatic cases in its overall confirmed case count, now at 82,918, until they show signs of infection. Mainland China has reported 4,633 deaths.
Hundreds of asymptomatic cases in Wuhan, where a closure of months ended April 8, are being monitored.
The number of new cases reported in China since April has been small compared to the thousands confirmed every day in February, thanks to a national detection, testing and quarantine regime.
‘Wartime mode’
My Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission, said new infections were being traced in seven provinces.
“In the past 14 days, seven provinces have reported new locally transmitted cases, and cases involving groups continue to increase,” Mi said at a press conference.
“We need to investigate and determine the origin of the infections and the routes of transmission.”
Northeast Jilin province, which reported a group of infections on Saturday in one of its cities, Shulan, reported three additional cases.
Shulan has been marked as a high-risk area, the only place in China currently with that designation.
“We are now in ‘wartime’ mode,” said Jin Hua, the mayor of Shulan, who until the weekend had reported no local cases for more than 70 days.
Shulan has imposed a blockade on its 600,000 residents since the weekend, with only one member of a household allowed to go out every day to buy essential items.
Reopening in China
Confirmation of new infections in Wuhan comes after the government announced Friday that cinemas, museums and other venues would gradually reopen, despite restrictions, including mandatory reservations and a limit on the number of visitors.
The Shanghai financial center has reopened some nightclubs and Walt Disney Co reopened its Shanghai Disneyland Park on Monday to a small number of visitors.
The number of visitors to the Shanghai Disneyland theme park was capped at around 24,000 on Monday [Aly Song/Reuters]
“Right now, here in China, and the epidemic conditions of COVID are such that we feel that with the right measures in place, when it comes to health and safety, we can successfully open here,” said Andrew Bolstein of Shanghai. Disney. Jazeera
“Temperature controls and social distancing are also in place, that means there are no selfies with Mickey or Minnie Mouse for now.” Katrina Yu of Al Jazeera said, reporting from Beijing.
The total number of people at the theme park on Monday was approximately 24,000, about 30 percent of the park’s capacity, with tickets running out in minutes, Yu said.
“I am happy that I finally have a place to take my son,” a visitor told Al Jazeera.
However, Yu said analysts have warned that despite pent-up consumer demand, one should not expect China’s economy to “recover soon.”
“I think the overall outlook will remain very uncertain and moderate as long as we don’t have a coronavirus treatment or vaccine,” Imogen Paige-Jarret of The Economist Intelligence Unit told Al Jazeera.
