China’s coronavirus cases drop below 3,000, with most new infections imported from abroad
- More than 90 per cent of the total 81,439 patients since the start of the crisis have recovered
- Most foreigners have been barred from entering the country as officials try to prevent a second wave of cases
As of Sunday, the number of confirmed cases in the country had fallen below 3,000, and more than 90 per cent of the total 81,439 patients had recovered, said Mi Feng, a spokesman for the National Health Commission.
There were 45 new cases reported on Saturday, and all except one of them were people who had arrived from overseas. That brought the total of imported cases since the start of the outbreak to 693, originating from 42 different countries.
“We will continue to prevent the risk of a secondary spread caused by sporadic domestic cases and imported cases, with timely detection, precise prevention and control,” Mi said.
The outbreak that began in central China in December has become a global pandemic, with more than 670,000 people infected worldwide and nearly 32,000 deaths as of Sunday. The United States now has the most confirmed cases, followed by Italy and China.
Chinese officials have taken a series of measures to prevent imported cases from starting a second wave of infections. From midnight on Friday, most foreigners were barred from entering the country, with entry visas suspended as a “temporary measure”.