Lockdowns have been re-imposed by China and South Korea on Monday after a spike in new infections of the coronavirus is raising concern of a second wave of the pandemic.
At least 15 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Shulan, China, prompting officials to quarantine 290 people connected to the outbreak, enforce martial law and lock down the northeastern city.
The city was declared high-risk for the spread of the epidemic on Sunday by the Jilin provincial government. Trains and vehicles, with the exception of emergency rescuers, have been barred from entry to the city.
May 11, 202000:52
Residents must stay at home, according to a report in the state newspaper Capital News. Households can elect one person to go out to purchase essential goods like groceries.
High school students who were recently allowed to return to the classroom are once again taking their courses online. Public service and entertainment venues such as sports centers and libraries have been temporarily closed. Generally, restaurants are only permitted to provide take-away.
The first case of the new outbreak was detected on Friday and involved a 45-year-old woman who is a laundry worker for a city’s public security bureau, Jilin health authorities said. Eighteen of her close contacts were required to isolate.
While contact tracing is underway in Shulan, elsewhere in the country, life is making the slow return to normal.
In Shanghai, Disneyland began to reopen to the public on Monday with enhanced health and safety measures. The park is limiting the number of people allowed to enter, enforcing social distancing in queues, restaurants, and ride vehicles, and frequently sanitizing and disinfecting facilities, the park operators said in a statement.
Nationwide, China reported 17 new cases on Sunday and no deaths. The total number of people infected in the country since the outbreak began in December has reached 82,918 and killed 4,633 people.
People wearing face masks walk along a street in the Hongdae district of Seoul on Sunday.Ed Jones / AFP – Getty Images
Meanwhile, South Korea, which eased social distancing requirements last week, saw a spike of cases linked to nightclubs in Seoul. But authorities cautioned that it did not suggest a second wave of the pandemic was beginning.
“The first wave has not ended and had a break to start another pandemic,” Jung Eun Kyeong, director-general of South Korea’s Center for Disease Control told NBC News during a briefing Monday.
Still, she said the medical community is continuing preparations for a second wave of the virus in the autumn or winter by keeping enough equipment reserved and encouraging social distancing and other preventative measures.
Bars and clubs have been temporarily closed in Seoul in response to the new outbreak that has been traced to one confirmed patient who visited a slew of establishments. People who had visited bars in the popular nightclub district Itaewon have been asked to self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of whether they show symptoms, and be tested.
President Moon Jae-in said it was a reminder that even though the spread of the virus has been controlled, it can re-emerge at any time, especially around enclose, crowded spaces.
“It’s not over until it’s over. While keeping enhanced alertness till the end, we must never lower our guard regarding epidemic prevention,” he said during a press briefing Sunday.
Across the country, a total of 35 new cases were reported Monday, bringing the cumulative total since the beginning of the outbreak to 10,909. Of those, 9632 have recovered. The death toll has remained steady at 256 since Friday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Leou Chen contributed.
