China places two cities under lockdown, restricts travelling during Lunar New Year

Two Chinese cities have been sealed off as authorities are trying to control the largest outbreak in China in six months, a year after the coronavirus and lockdown started in the nation. 

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China saw 17 new coronavirus infections and 183 asymptomatic cases last week

China largely subjugated the pandemic since it emerged for the first time late in 2019, however, mass testing, travel restrictions and local lockdowns were conducted to control smaller outbreaks last year. But Hebei province in north China saw 17 new coronavirus infections and 183 asymptomatic cases last week. Majority of such cases were recorded in Shijiazhuang and nine cases were also found in the neighbouring city of Xingtai

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Hebei authorities made an announcement on Friday that residents of both the cities were banned from entering capital Beijing or leaving the province unless absolutely necessary. 

Authorities pledged to strictly control the movement of people and vehicles, with all residential estates kept under closed management. 

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"The outbreak was imported from abroad, but the exact origins are currently under in-depth investigation by state, provincial and municipal experts," Li Qi, head of the Hebei Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, was quoted at a press briefing on Friday by a news agency.  

Long-distance passenger vehicle transport was suspended in Hebei on Friday while highways were also shut down. The restrictions came at a time when the nation is set to mark one of its major festivals Lunar New Year for which millions of people travel. 

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On January 8, the Chinese officials urged its citizens to not make unnecessary trips to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holiday amidst a rise in the coronavirus cases once again. Various local governments have also issued notice asking people to stay home and not indulge in travel. “In a bid to prevent transmission and control the pandemic, we encourage companies and enterprises to make flexible arrangements for the holiday and guide employees to spend the vacation in the area where they work”, read a notice issued by the State council. 

Meanwhile, a team of World Health Organisation (WHO) scientists travelling to Wuhan in order to trace COVID-19 virus origin has been denied entry to China. The WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that he is "very disappointed" with the news.