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BEIJING: Chinese health authorities reported on Thursday (March 18) the first locally transmitted COVID-19 case in the country since February 14. The case was detected in a health worker in the city of Xi’an, in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.
The patient works at a local hospital and is responsible for collecting samples from quarantined people for coronavirus testing, the provincial health commission said.
China has largely controlled the spread of COVID-19, although infections are frequently detected in people arriving in the country from abroad.
The country has been closed to most foreigners since last March to stop the spread of the coronavirus, stranding many foreigners with jobs and family members within China abroad.
But China plans to ease border restrictions to allow some foreigners, including those from the US, India and Australia, to return, provided they have taken a COVID-19 vaccine made in China.
The Chinese Embassy to the United States said in a statement dated March 15 that it would begin processing “visa applicants inoculated with Chinese COVID-19 vaccines.”
This would apply from this week to those visiting mainland China to resume work, business trips or for “humanitarian needs” such as reuniting with family members.
The embassy statement said this applied to those who had received two doses of the vaccine or a single dose at least 14 days before applying for the visa.
Chinese embassies in other countries such as Australia, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Italy and Sri Lanka have released similar statements.
Those arriving in China will still have to face a grueling quarantine of up to three weeks.
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