China to keep testing Wuhan residents for coronavirus as lockdown relaxes

The city of Wuhan, China, where the novel coronavirus was first identified, is reportedly still regularly testing residents for the virus despite efforts to reopen its economy after a two-month lockdown.

Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, is getting better day by day — going from 67,800 total cases to 64,200 recoveries, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Now, the city focuses on finding asymptomatic cases, Reuters reported Friday.

Community workers look after individual neighborhoods in Wuhan and perform extensive checks on residents, said Feng Jing, a government supervisor.

“We carry out comprehensive health checks every day and keep detailed records of their health condition,” Feng said.

“Currently, our neighborhood is an epidemic-free community — it’s been 45 days so far, so we don’t have this situation,” she added.

China is recording fewer case numbers every day, though international observers have repeatedly cast doubt on the totals being reported by Beijing.

The country reported just 42 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, down from 63 a day earlier.

In Shanghai, state media is being used to dismiss online rumors that the city has become one of the “most dangerous” places after thousands of people came in from Wuhan.

China’s central government coronavirus task force, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, says the country needs to “actively create favorable conditions” to restore normality in the economy but warns there is still a risk of the pandemic rebounding.

To combat further risks, officials in Wuhan said Friday the city would put forth 200 million yuan, or approximately $28.4 million, to upgrade more than 400 of the city’s farmers markets to maintain better hygiene. The virus is believed to have originated at a poorly regulated wet market.