The coronavirus situation in China and other countries has been moving slowly over the past few weeks but a spike in imported cases is now at the center of debates about a potential second wave.
China Reports 61 New Imported Cases
On Wednesday, the Chinese National Health Commission (NHC) reported 63 new CoVID-19 cases, and 61 of the said patients had travel history abroad, CNBC reported.
The spike in imported cases has been going on over the past few days, with health experts noting that governments should still keep their guards up in case a second wave of rising coronavirus cases is felt in the coming weeks.
China has registered 81,865 confirmed CoVID-19 cases and 3,335 deaths as of Wednesday.
Crowds Flee Reopened Wuhan
Following tumultuous weeks under lockdown, Wuhan, the origin city of the novel coronavirus, finally reopened midnight Tuesday, with thousands of people flocking bus and train stations in a bid to flee the former epicenter of China's CoVID-19 outbreak.
According to Business Insider, despite the reopening of Wuhan, Chinese authorities and health experts still warned people to guard their health as there is still a possibility of community-spreading among undetected cases.
Some residents said they felt free after the lockdown was lifted, while others said they still feared that there will be new cases as the 11-million strong city starts returning to life as usual.
South Korea Registers Lowest Toll in Over a Month
On Thursday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) revealed that there were 39 new CoVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, marking the lowest new cases toll yet in the country since late February.
The news came amid an extension of social distancing rules in the country, the Yonhap News Agency reported. Thursday's toll was also the fourth consecutive day that South Korea registered around 50 or fewer new coronavirus cases.
The country now has a total of 10,423 confirmed CoVID-19 cases and 204 deaths. As of Thursday, 6,973 people have since recovered from the disease.
North Korea Completes Evacuation Work for Hospital Construction
State media on Wednesday reported that North Korea has completed initial evacuation work for the general hospital in Pyongyang that is being constructed as part of celebrations for the 75th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party.
North Korea's Kim Jong-un set the target date of completion for the Pyongyang General Hospital by October 10. State media further revealed that people across the country sent in donations so the construction work will be completed.
The news came as the North Korean government continues to insist that the country has no confirmed CoVID-19 cases. However, some speculators noted that the country already closed borders and also implemented curfews, raising suspicion about the true coronavirus situation in the reclusive country.
Disney Parks in Tokyo Extend Closure
Oriental Land Co., the operator of Disney theme parks in Tokyo, announced on Thursday that both Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland will remain closed due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in Japan, Kyodo News reported.
The initial reopening date of the said theme parks was set for April 20 or later. However, the operator noted that the decision of reopening the parks will be made sometime mid-May as part of the efforts to prevent community spreading events in the said sites.
The parks have been shuttered since February 29, along with other theme parks around the world shutting down.
As of Wednesday, Japan registered at least 4,257 confirmed CoVID-19 cases and over 110 deaths.
Long Way to Go in Controlling CoVID-19 in Australia
Experts in Australia noted that the spike in new coronavirus cases in Australia appears to be on a decline. However, they reiterated that the journey is still long and rough in terms of effectively containing the fast-spreading CoVID-19 strain, The Guardian reported.
Unlike other Asian countries that are experiencing an influx in imported cases, Australia has seen a significantly number of coronavirus cases linked to overseas travels.
As of Wednesday, Australia registered a total of 6,090 confirmed coronavirus cases and 51 fatalities.
