Coronavirus: Millions returning to work in China

Millions of people are returning to work in China, after the Lunar New Year break that was extended by 10 days. and even with some precautions there are concerns it could lead to a spike in cases of coronavirus.

Sunday’s death toll of 97 was the largest in a single day since the outbreak was first detected in December at a seafood market in Hubei province’s capital, Wuhan. Across mainland China, there were 3,062 new confirmed infections, bringing the total number so far to 40,171, according to the National Health Commission (NHC). A total of 3,281 patients infected with the virus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Sunday, the Chinese health authorities said.

The epidemic has caused huge disruptions in China with usually teeming cities becoming virtual ghost towns during the past two weeks as Communist Party rulers ordered virtual lockdowns, cancelled flights, closed factories and shut schools. Even on Monday, a large number of workplaces will remain closed and many white-collar workers will continued to work from home. On one of the usually busiest subway lines in Beijing, trains were largely empty. The few commuters sighted during peak-hour morning traffic were all wearing masks.

Across China, schools in provinces and regions such as Guangdong, Anhui, Zhejiang, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Jiangxi, and Inner Mongolia, as well as Shanghai and Chongqing will be shut through the end of February. About 71.9 billion yuan of fiscal funds have been allocated to the epidemic, including ensuring medical care and outbreak control measures are in place, Mr Liu said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, an advance team of World Health Organisation (WHO) experts has left for Beijing to investigate China’s coronavirus epidemic, the Geneva-based agency said on Sunday.