BEIJING: China has once again closed all its schools as its capital city reported 31 new coronavirus cases.
The new cases have raised fears of a second wave of infections as China had largely brought its domestic outbreak under control.
City authorities had also announced a travel ban for residents of medium- or high-risk areas of the city while requiring other residents to take nucleic acid tests in order to leave Beijing.
Meanwhile, all the schools which had mostly reopened were ordered to close again and return to online classes. “The epidemic situation in the capital is extremely severe,” Beijing city spokesman Xu Hejian warned at a press conference.
Beijing has now reported 137 infections over the last 6 days, with six new asymptomatic cases and three suspected cases today.
An additional two domestic cases, one in neighbouring Hebei province and another in Zhejiang, were reported by national authorities on Wednesday, while there were 11 imported cases.
The country had eased much of its anti-coronavirus measures in recent months as the government all but declared victory against the disease that emerged in the central city of Wuhan late last year.
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