Coronavirus: first Chinese province that declared top-level emergency downgrades alert status

Zhejiang province, which is China’s key export and manufacturing base, declared a Grade I emergency on January 23, a day before the epicentre of Hubei

According to the Zhejiang Health Commission, there have been no new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the province for nine days

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Zhejiang contributed 5.62 trillion yuan (US$804 billion) to China’s GDP in 2018, the fourth largest on a list topped by Guangdong with 9.73 trillion yuan. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:45pm, 2 Mar 2020Updated: 5:45pm, 2 Mar 2020

China’s key export and manufacturing base of Zhejiang province, which was the first to declare the highest level of emergency in response to the coronavirus outbreak, downgraded its alert status on Monday.

The coastal province of 57 million residents declared a Grade I emergency on January 23, a day before the epicentre of Hubei province, but is the latest in a number of provinces to ease restrictions in a bid to ramp up economic activities.

According to the Zhejiang Health Commission, there have been no new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the province for nine days. A total of 1,205 confirmed cases have been reported, with one death, while 1,050 patients have been discharged.

“All counties [cities and districts] in the province are green and low risk, and the epidemic situation continues to improve,” the commission said.

The decision by the Zhejiang government echoes the call from China’s top leaders for local authorities to decide the appropriate level of measures in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Guangdong, along with at least eight other provinces, had already lowered their public health emergency responses from the highest level of Grade I to Grade II and Grade III.