Mainland Logs Ninth Day With No Local Virus Cases

The mainland has reported its ninth consecutive day with no new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases, as a major university in the city of Wuhan opened for face-to-face classes on Tuesday for the first time in eight months.

The daily update from national health officials, which provided data for Monday, showed the recent streak without any new locally transmitted cases stretched into another day.

There were 14 new imported cases, involving travellers returning from overseas, down from 16 the previous day. There were also 16 new asymptomatic cases – patients who are infected with the coronavirus but not exhibiting any symptoms – compared with 27 a day earlier.

In the central city where the virus was first detected, Wuhan University opened its doors to more than 9,100 students on Monday.

The official Xinhua news agency reported that the university had been deep cleaned and disinfected. Students returning for on-site lectures would receive temperature checks and be required to wear a mask in the library, the agency added.

Wuhan, which reported the first death from the novel coronavirus in early January, has received widespread attention for the speed at which life is returning to normal after months of robust restrictions and widespread virus testing.

The total number of confirmed cases on the mainland stands at 84,981, including 4,634 deaths. (Reuters)