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BEIJING: China faces an increased risk of local transmission of the new coronavirus in the winter due to imported cases as the spread of the global pandemic accelerates, a senior official at the country’s health authority said on Thursday (November 12).
In winter, there could be sporadic cases in some areas of China and some pocket cluster cases in others, Li Bin, vice minister of the National Health Commission, said at a news conference.
“China’s epidemic prevention and control work cannot relax for a moment,” Li said.
Countries like India, Brazil, and France are reporting tens of thousands of new infections daily. By contrast, China has largely controlled the spread of the coronavirus since early summer, although clusters of community infections have periodically affected parts of the country.
Last week, some local cases related to the importation of food emerged in the northern port city of Tianjin, while an airport worker in Shanghai contracted the virus despite having had no direct contact with infected patients.
READ: China’s Tianjin To Test Food Cold Storage Sites After Confirmed COVID-19 Case
Officials at the press conference noted an increase in imported cases among travelers arriving from abroad.
China has continued to stop issuing visas to some foreign nationals while restricting non-urgent outbound movements of Chinese citizens, Yin Chengji, deputy commissioner of the National Immigration Administration, told reporters.
The country has also cracked down on imported frozen foods, having carried out random checks on more than 870,000 samples, Bi Kexin, an official with the General Administration of Customs, said at the same press conference.
READ: China says it should improve hygiene in markets after COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing
It requires certification from suppliers and market regulators should crack down on untraceable frozen foods, said Chen Xu, an official with the State Administration for Market Regulation.
When asked if China would create so-called travel bubbles with countries less affected by the virus, Luo Zhaohui, Vice Foreign Minister, said the time was not right.
“For closed-circuit travel bubbles we do not deny this possibility, but we believe that conditions are not yet right,” Luo said.
READ: AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 Vaccine to Begin Clinical Trials in China, Executive Says
Hong Kong and Singapore agreed to open Asia’s first travel bubble in late November.
When asked if China would receive and help treat patients from other countries, Luo said China might consider sending Chinese experts to those countries to assist.
He also warned Chinese citizens against traveling abroad.
“Our advice is that you don’t go abroad,” Luo said.
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