A new novel coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese province Henan raised the concern about an alarming second wave of COVID-19. This is despite the ruling Chinese Communist Party's efforts to claim the nation is successfully tackling the disease.
A fresh group of cases has been reported among hospital staff at Jia County People's Hospital. One case had just spent 14 days in quarantine after returning from Wuhan in the Hubei province, where the illness first emerged late last year.
Now, more than half a million people in central China have been imposed a coronavirus lockdown. This was after three doctors tested positive for the virus despite being asymptotic or showing no symptoms.
Henan province in central China has undertaken the serious measure of putting the county in total lockdown as officials attempt to fend off a second coronavirus wave amid efforts to revive the economy.
Curfew-like measures were implemented on Tuesday in Jia county, near the city of Pingdingshan. According to a notice on the Jia's official microblog account, the area's roughly 600,000 residents were told to stay indoors.
Authorities have imposed travel restrictions, with non-essential travel prohibited among communities. People coming in and out of residential compounds are ordered to wear a face mask, have their temperatures checked and provide a certificate to prove that they are healthy, stated in an official document.
Along with travel, car traffic will also be impeded until the cases are lessened.
Asymptomatic doctors who treated patients diagnosed with the coronavirus seemingly have caused the resurgence.
A woman contracted the illness after visiting her doctor, who did not show symptoms.
Regional authorities have imposed all towns, villages, and residential complexes to initialize their 'wartime mechanism' in the midst of concern over a fresh outbreak.
The news follows Beijing's declaration over the weekend that it had greatly curbed the pandemic.
Special approval was a requirement for all movement outside homes, the notice said.
Initially, China has reported a decrease in domestic cases of the COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. On Wednesday, the National Health Commission reported 36 new infections with all excluding one imported case.
Businesses are halted excluding supermarkets and farmers' markets. stated in the China government's Weibo account.
One resident said, "All households are locked down. Nobody can go into town, or if you do, you won't be able to leave again."
Testing was conducted by a Jia county hospital on March 25 for healthcare workers who treat coronavirus patients revealed infections in three doctors who were asymptotic.
The 3 doctors dined together in a restaurant on March 13. One of them had previously traveled to Wuhan and undertook self-quarantine for two weeks before his return.
Although life in all provinces, including former epicenter of the virus Hubei, is slowly going back to normal, concerns about a second wave uphold due to a surge of people arriving from abroad and as the so-called 'silent carriers' who can spread the virus without awareness.
'Silent carriers' are patients who don't suffer any symptoms of the coronavirus, including fevers, coughs, and a sore throat but will be diagnosed by nucleic acid tests.
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