China Imposes Lockdowns After New Coronavirus Cases
Authorities in China are imposing lockdowns, closing schools and testing millions of residents after coronavirus cases were discovered in several cities last week. Mitigation efforts are under way in Shanghai, Tianjin and Manzhouli to curb the spread while it is still at relatively low levels upon being discovered last week. Despite China’s success at largely controlling the pandemic outbreak, officials have warned the colder temperatures increase the chances of spreading the virus and are taking strong measures to curb the flareups.
The country’s National Health Commission reported two positive cases in Shanghai which were locally transmitted in the prior 24-hour period, bringing the total new cases to seven between Friday and Monday. The two recent cases in Shanghai were attributed to an airport worker who was in close contact while having tested COVID-19 positive earlier this month. Pudong International Airport made a decision on Sunday evening to test all airport personnel and collected 17,719 samples by early Monday. Officials plan to implement testing measures in surrounding communities if any of the airport tests are confirmed positive. Since the virus was first discovered in the central city of Wuhan nearly a year ago, the country has reported 86,442 positive cases, with 4,634 recorded deaths.
Ann Sullivan is a contributing staff writer covering national and world news topics. She brings dedicated experience having written international and domestic news, blogs, and web content for over 20 years. She’s also a published poet and graphic designer with degrees in Business and Graphic Communications and has been a music distributor, music industry sponsorship sales director and band manager.