Coronavirus: China introduces targeted coronavirus controls for each county
- Authorities drop blanket, provincewide restrictions for all areas, with exception of Hubei and Beijing
- Only nine of new cases on the mainland occurred outside province at epicentre of epidemic
China on Tuesday reported a total of 508 new cases of coronavirus infections, but only nine of these occurred outside Hubei province signalling the country’s control measures have been effective in containing the disease to within the central Chinese province where the epidemic began.
But the challenges of the outbreak for Asia are escalating. A sudden rise in cases in South Korea has prompted several Chinese cities to step up precautions against South Korean visitors.
Figures from China’s National Health Commission said 499 of the new cases on the mainland were reported in Hubei, of which 464 came from provincial capital Wuhan. The commission said 71 new deaths were reported as of Monday, bringing the total death toll to 2,663. Mainland China reported 77,658 confirmed cases and 27,323 recovered cases since the outbreak started in December.
Targeted county controls
China will impose coronavirus controls on a county-by-county basis rather than introducing provincewide restrictions to encourage resumption of work and production.
The National Development and Reform Commission said that with the exception of those in Hubei province and Beijing, each county would be classified as either a low, medium or high-risk area, depending on conditions in each locality.
“[Epidemic controls] need to be differentiated and implemented with precision,” NDRC spokesman Ou Xiaoli said.
In low-risk areas, restrictions on work and daily life should be completely lifted. There should not be any restrictions on businesses resuming production, Ou said.
On Tuesday, China recorded nine new Covid-19 cases outside Hubei.