Beijing was hit by a record number of imported cases of the coronavirus as new local transmissions in China fell to zero, putting more pressure on the Chinese capital to screen out infected passengers and isolate suspected cases.
It was the first time since the virus took hold late last year in Hubei province's capital Wuhan that China has recorded no locally transmitted cases.
In recent days, China has increasingly focused its counter-epidemic efforts on inbound travellers as the coronavirus rapidly expanded its global footprint, raising the prospect of a second wave of infections arriving from abroad.
"A single spark can start a prairie fire," the official China Daily wrote in an editorial on Thursday.
Beijing reported 21 new cases of infections from abroad on Wednesday, mostly people travelling from Spain and Britain. The Beijing infections accounted for the bulk of the 34 new imported cases seen in mainland China.
Since last week, Beijing Capital International Airport has carved out a special zone for all international flights, with all disembarking passengers required to submit to health checks. Non-transit travellers are then sent to a processing venue from which they were dispatched to designated places for compulsory 14-day quarantine.
The Chinese capital has now stopped allowing people arriving from overseas to be self-quarantined, even if the person has a place to stay alone in isolation, which was allowed before, state media reported on Thursday.
Some international flights to Beijing will be diverted to nearby cities such as Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan and Hohhot, the financial news outlet Caixin reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. The plan would only apply to flights operated by Chinese carriers, it added.
Reports that aviation authorities would divert some international arrivals in Beijing to neighbouring cities suggest the capital city may have reached its limit in screening the incoming visitors, China Daily said in its editorial.
Guangdong province reported nine new imported cases, while Shanghai saw two fresh infections from overseas, bringing the overall number of imported cases to 189 so far.
ZERO AT GROUND ZERO
Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, reported no new infections for the first time, according to the National Health Commission.
"If no new case of the coronavirus has been reported for 14 consecutive days in Wuhan following the last reported case, we believe it will be the time when the lockdown can be gradually lifted," China Daily reported, citing an epidemiologist.
"We expect new cases will cease to appear in mid or late March," said Li Lanjuan, director of China's State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases.
The city has been locked down since Jan. 23 to combat the spread of the virus beyond its borders.
Wuhan remains the only city in Hubei province still designated as "high-risk" and subject to strict travel bans.
The rest of Hubei has reported no new infections for 14 days.
The city of Ezhou in Hubei has eased restrictions on outbound travel for non-resident citizens within its borders, but they will not be allowed to travel to Beijing, again pointing to efforts to deflect any inbound infections from the capital.
In Beijing, the annual meetings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), known as the "two sessions", were scheduled for early March but had been delayed due to the outbreak.
China tentatively plans to hold its delayed annual gathering of parliament in late April or early May, two people involved in preparations previously told Reuters.
The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China stands at 80,928, with the overall death toll at 3,245 as of the end of Wednesday, up by eight from the previous day.
In Hubei, there were eight new deaths, with Wuhan accounting for six of the fatalities.
Reuters
Thu Mar 19 2020
Security personnel wearing face masks to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walk along a street outside Forbidden City in Beijing, China March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
JKDM beli 20 anjing pengesan dadah libat kos RM1.9 juta
JKDM dalam proses perolehan 20 ekor anjing pengesan dadah serta tiga unit mesin pengimbas 'backscatter' dalam usaha perangi dadah.
Sultan Selangor berangkat ke majlis bacaan yasin, tahlil di Pangkalan TLDM
Sultan Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah yang juga Kepten Yang Dipertua Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) berkenan berangkat ke Pangkalan TLDM Lumut.
MOT, Khazanah, MAG perlu perkukuh tadbir urus MAB - PM Anwar
Jelas Anwar lagi, pengurusan syarikat penerbangan yang baik juga akan memberi manfaat kepada kakitangan melalui gaji yang setimpal dengan perkhidmatan mereka.
Kontroversi UM: Mahasiswa protes, tuntut tindakan tegas pihak jemput profesor pro-Israel
Sekumpulan mahasiswa Universiti Malaya (UM) hari ini mengadakan perhimpunan membantah tindakan menjemput penceramah pro-Zionis memberi ceramah di institusi itu baru-baru ini.
[INFOGRAFIK] Penstrukturan Semula Akaun KWSP | Berkuatkuasa 11 Mei 2024
Berikut adalah info berkenaan dengan Penstrukturan Semula Akaun KWSP.
Sekatan terhadap penceramah asing pro-Zionis demi keselamatan negara - Zambry
Sekatan terhadap penceramah asing pro-Zionis perlu dilihat dari aspek keselamatan dan imej negara yang boleh terjejas akibat kenyataan mereka.
Kekejaman zionis: Universiti Columbia ilhamkan gelombang protes nasional
Protes di Universiti Columbia membantah perang Israel di Gaza telah mencetuskan gelombang demonstrasi serupa di kampus kolej seluruh Amerika Syarikat.
Pemilik stesen minyak didenda RM30,000 jual RON95 kepada kenderaan asing
Hakim menjatuhkan hukuman itu ke atas Mohammad Naziruddin Abu Hassan, 61, selaku Orang Kena Saman (OKS) selepas mengaku bersalah atas pertuduhan itu.
Komen jelik tentang nahas helikopter TLDM, peniaga didenda RM23,000
Seorang peniaga dalam talian didenda RM23,000 oleh Mahkamah Sesyen Taiping pada Jumaat, selepas mengaku bersalah atas tuduhan memuat naik komen jelik berhubung nahas helikopter milik Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) di Lumut, yang mengorbankan 10 mangsa.
Lima laluan ditutup sementara sempena hari penamaan calon PRK KKB esok
Jalan yang terlibat bagi penutupan sementara itu ialah Jalan Merdeka, Jalan Abdul Hamid, Jalan Dato Muda Jaafar, Jalan Mat Kilau dan Jalan Kamarudin.
Lai Ching-te dari DPP menang Pilihan Raya Taiwan
Lai berdepan saingan tiga penjuru dengan Hou Yu-ih dari Kuomintang (KMT) dan Ko Wen-je dari Parti Rakyat Taiwan.
Pilihan Raya Taiwan: Rakyat mula jalankan tanggungjawab masing-masing
Pilihan raya tersebut menyusul ketika Beijing meningkatkan tekanan untuk mendapatkan pulau itu menerima kedaulatannya.
Beijing alami lebih banyak salji, gelombang sejuk dijangka melanda
Kawasan perbandaran Beijing mengalami lebih banyak salji pada Khamis dengan gelombang sejuk dijangka melanda ibu negara China itu pada Jumaat.
33 maut hujan paling lebat landa Beijing
Sekurang-kurangnya lima pekerja bantuan adalah antara mangsa yang maut. 18 orang lagi mangsa masih hilang.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Blinken tiba di China bagi kendurkan ketegangan
Beberapa siri pertemuan dengan wakil kerajaan berpangkat tinggi dirancang sebelum Blinken berlepas pada Isnin.
Gelombang panas landa beijing, suhu cecah 39 darjah Celsius
Bandar raya Beijing mengeluarkan amaran pada tahap oren berikutan suhu tinggi diramal mencecah 39 darjah Celsius pada Jumaat, menurut pihak berkuasa cuaca tempatan.
Diplomat kanan China, AS bincang tingkatkan hubungan dua hala
Perbincangan itu diadakan di Beijing pada 5 Jun, lapor Sputnik yang memetik Kementerian Luar China pada Selasa.
Presiden Xi mahu Beijing terajui bidang sains dan teknologi
China komited meneruskan strategi keterbukaan serta sedia berganding tangan dengan semua untuk mempromosi inovasi sains dan teknologi.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.