China's Next Coronavirus Threat Along Its Southern Borders

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COVID-19 新冠肺炎时事

Till 3:10pm, April 29, 2020, the coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 210 countries and territories around the world and 1 international conveyance (the Diamond Princess cruise ship harbored in Yokohama, Japan). There are totally 3139,523 COVID-19 cases in the world and 218,024 people have died. 

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China Sees Next Coronavirus Threat Along Its Southern Borders

China’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic faces “an extremely great challenge” from infected people entering the country through its southern and southwestern borders, a National Health Commission (NHC) official said Monday.

Wang Bin, an inspector at the commission’s disease prevention and control office, said at a State Council press conference that sparsely populated southern border areas with less-prepared health systems are at heightened risk of “imported” Covid-19 cases.

China, which recorded the first cases of Covid-19 last year, has brought its outbreak under control. But health officials remain worried that an influx of people from abroad could spark a second wave of infections. China logged 107 imported coronavirus cases between April 21 and 27, equivalent to 88.4% of the country’s total confirmed new cases, Wang said at the conference.

▲ Image/Caixin

Recent flare-ups in northeastern China and the northwestern city of Xi’an, largely due to the return of infected Chinese citizens from neighboring Russia, have in some cases prompted local authorities to reinstate partial lockdowns even as the rest of the country has relaxed social distancing measures.

Similar scenarios could also play out in the country’s south, Wang said. China’s Tibet autonomous region, Yunnan province and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region border six nations in total: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

Yunnan and Guangxi alone account for more than 80% of China’s border crossings, Wang said.

Although China’s southern neighbors have officially recorded fewer cases than Russia, their true figures are thought to be far higher than reported.

Wang said their health systems lack the ability to effectively test and isolate suspected COVID-19 cases: “Generally speaking, their capacity to respond to a significant epidemic is quite weak.”

At the same press conference, Liu Haitao, a senior official at China’s National Immigration Administration, said the complex geography and dense networks of roads, paths and ferries were stymying efforts to maintain border security, especially in boundary-spanning towns where frequent trips across the border are part of daily life.

The Chinese government dispatched a 16-person expert task force last week to guide and assist disease control work along the borders of Tibet, Yunnan, and Guangxi, Wang said.

The Chinese mainland confirmed six new cases of COVID-19 Monday, three of which were imported infections, according to the NHC.

Sources: Caixin

Chinese Private Kindergartens Hit Hard By COVID-19

Many private kindergartens in China, having closed for months amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, are facing huge financial pressure and even the risk of bankruptcy.

While most secondary schools have reopened for ninth and twelfth graders since Monday following the education authority's suggestion, numerous kindergartens across the country are anxiously waiting for a reopening permit after having suffered zero income for nearly four months.

▲ Photo/VCG

According to a survey by the China Association for Non-Government Education, 60 percent of domestic private kindergartens said they can hardly stay in business amid the pandemic, Guangzhou-based Information Times reported on April 23.

Some kindergarten owners have to cut salaries or stop paying employees' wages to reduce their losses. 

The government is trying to offer a helping hand. The Ministry of Education released a notice on April 15 to call for financial support from regional governments to relieve the burden on local private kindergartens amid the pandemic.

Baiyun District in Guangzhou responded to this call by allocating 40 million yuan in assistance funds by mid-April, the local education authority said.

"We have provided this fund for the low-cost private kindergartens across this district without requiring them to apply for it in advance," an official with the Baiyun District Education Bureau surnamed Zhuo said.

In Guangzhou, low-cost private kindergartens refer to those charging kids no more than 1,250 yuan in tuition fees per month (meal and accommodation fees excluded), which are less profitable and suffer greater financial pressure amid the closure, Zhuo explained. 

The fund can help kindergarten owners cover part of their costs on employees and facilities, including virus-control items, Zhuo said.

Like Guangzhou, governments in some other developed areas including Beijing and Shanghai have also made policies for private kindergartens, such as offering them subsidies, or reducing or exempting their rents.

Sources: China Daily

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France Cancels Its 2019-2020 Football Season

▲ Kylian Mbappé of Paris Saint-Germain (left) is challenged by Lukasz Piszczek (right) of Borussia Dortmund during the UEFA Champions League in Paris, France on March 11. UEFA/Getty Images

Professional sports will not continue the 2019-2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday.

"The 2019-2020 season of professional sports, especially football, will not be able to resume," Philippe told the French National Assembly.

France Details How It Will Begin Easing Lockdown Restrictions on May 11

▲ French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe makes a statement to present his plan to exit from the lockdown situation at the National Assembly in Paris, on Tuesday, April 28. David Niviere/Abaca/Sipa/AP

France will begin to ease lockdown restrictions on May 11, after the country's prime minister said they will have enough masks to meet the need.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Tuesday:

“We are proposing a very gradual reopening of kindergartens and elementary schools from May 11, everywhere on the territory and on a voluntary basis. 

In a second step, we can consider reopening the colleges (intermediary schools), starting with 6th and 7th grade (11-12 year-olds). We will make a decision in early June for high schools.”

After an initial easing of lockdown measures on May 11, there will be a second monitoring phase from May 11 to June 2, Philippe added. France will make a decision on the opening of bars, cafes and restaurants at the end of May.

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Latest From the World

One billion infections predicted: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) estimates that there could be up to one billion coronavirus infections and 3.2 million deaths in crisis-affected countries unless swift action is taken to curb its spread. 

US deaths forecast: Dr. Chris Murray, director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Help Metrics and Evaluation, said the institute's scientific model had increased its predicted US coronavirus death toll from 60,000 to 74,000. More than 56,000 people have died in the US, more than a quarter of deaths worldwide.

Olympics could be canceled: Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said that if the pandemic is not over by next summer, the Games -- already delayed to 2021 -- will be canceled, according to an interview published Tuesday in Nikkan Sports. But Tokyo 2020 spokesperson Masa Takaya said that Mori’s comments “were his own thoughts.”

Higher deaths in UK: The number of coronavirus deaths in England and Wales up to April 17 is 54% higher than the UK government’s daily updates for the corresponding period, according to new figures from the Office of National Statistics.

Two million Australians download app: A coronavirus contact tracing app has been downloaded more than 2 million times since it was launched in Australia on Sunday. The COVIDSafe app is voluntary and designed to help health authorities trace people who may have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19.

"No vaccine until end of 2021:" A vaccine won’t be ready until the end of next year under the “most optimistic of scenarios," according to Pasi Penttinen from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). “Vaccine development is a hugely complicated and expensive process,” he told Sky News.

Countries easing lockdowns: New Zealand is "not out of the woods," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, as it entered its first day of transitioning to Level 3 from the toughest restrictions of Level 4. Austria's lockdown won't be extended when it ends on Thursday, and Australia's iconic Bondi Beach reopened. Hong Kong will start loosening some measures and public services will resume Monday after the city reported no new confirmed cases for the fourth time in eight days.

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