COVID-19: China eases travel restrictions after two months of lockdown

As the number of coronavirus cases in China is going down, life is slowly returning to normal in the disease-hit country. According to reports, workers are gradually returning to their jobs and Hubei residents who were stranded in other parts of the country are going home after travel restrictions were eased for the first time in two months. China's health commission on March 12 said that the peak in coronavirus epidemic in the country has passed and authorities have allowed some industries to resume production in two cities of Hubei province. 

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As per reports, schools, colleges, and public spaces are starting to reopen in various parts of the country and there is at last relief for medical workers after a hectic three-months of hard work. Chinese state media reported that 12,028 quarantine stations that were set-up on highways have been removed and the roads have been reopened for inter-provincial travel.

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Coronavirus outbreak

China is the most affected country in the world as it is believed that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. As per reports, there are 10,732 active coronavirus cases in China, of which 3,226 patients are under critical condition. At least 3,199 people have died in the country since December 2019, of which 10 deaths came in the last 24 hours. China has successfully treated over 66,000 patients since the virus first broke out three months ago. 

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According to data acquired by worldometer, more than 5,800 people have lost their lives across the world, while the virus has infected over 1,56,000 people globally. Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Spain are the most affected countries outside China, where a combined death toll stands at 2,323 as of March 15. The United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) had earlier said that a vaccine to fight coronavirus could take at least one year to develop. 

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