New Cases Spread In China, Mass Tests Target 11 Million People

Photo illustration (Tedward Quinn / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Municipal Government of Wuhan, Hubei, China, which is the epicenter of the new corona virus pandemic, will carry out a mass test of COVID-19 on its 11 million residents in the next ten days. The mass testing was in response to the emergence of several new cases on May 8. There are fears of a second wave of COVID-19.

The news came from the Chinese state media, The Paper. At least six cases were first reported in Wuhan after the 76-day lockdown. None of these cases came from abroad.

They will perform a nucleic acid test that can detect the genetic code for the virus and can be more effective at detecting the virus than an immune response test. The elderly as well as residents who live in densely populated areas and are widely visited are the priority for testing.

"We realize that a good achievement does not necessarily determine victory," Hubei Province Standing Committee Member Wang Zhonglin told the Changjiang Daily as quoted by Sky News. "We must not be reckless, paralyzed and weak," he said.

The central government is disappointed

In fact, after the regional quarantine, Wuhan has gradually returned to normal. People are allowed to leave the house, although there are still many businesses that are still closed.

The Chinese government is not happy with the discovery of several of these new cases. This is because Wuhan has been considered an example of a city that has succeeded in stopping the spread of the virus.

The Chinese government in its report stated that it had removed the position of the Head of the Dongxihu District of Wuhan, Zhang Yuxin. "For failing to prevent an epidemic of the newly discovered cases," wrote.