China seals off 640,000 people and shuts tourist sites again as coronavirus ‘silent carriers’ threaten second wave – The Sun
CHINA has sealed off a province of 640,000 people and shut tourist attractions – sparking fears of a second wave of coronavirus.
Jia – a county in the Henan province – has banned virtually all outbound movement of people after several cases of Covid-19.
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No one is allowed to travel out of the county without proper authorisation, officials from the area said in a post on a social media account.
Residents are not allowed to leave their homes unless they have clearance to do so.
The province reported one confirmed case on Saturday, and officials say the infected person had been in contact with two doctors based in Jia.
Both have tested positive for coronavirus, although neither has shown any symptoms.
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It comes as Yunnan, a southern province bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, blocked citizens leaving from ports.
Authorities are trying to prevent its citizens from returning with the disease.
In Shanghai, China's largest city, tourist attractions have closed.
RESTRICTIONS ARE BACK IN PLACE
The city had briefly re-opened entertainment venues including bars, but all have now closed again.
Scientists say carriers who don't show symptoms of Covid-19 can spread the pathogen to others easily, as there's no easy way to tell they're infected.
Many countries – including the UK – do not give people tests unless they show symptoms or are admitted to hospital.
China declared its epidemic contained on March 19.
However, US intelligence reports conclude China under-reported both total cases and deaths.
Countries including South Korea include coronavirus patients who don't have any symptoms in their confirmed case counts.
A new study has found coronavirus cases are at their most infectious when they have mild symptoms.
Scientists found that people who tested positive for Covid-19 'shed' or excrete the virus at 'high levels' during the first week of symptoms.
And this shedding makes them at their most infectious for up to eight days after symptoms show – or ten to 11 days for more severe cases.
It comes after the number of cases of coronavirus in the UK rose today to 29,474 – with the death toll standing at 2,392.
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