UPDATE - China to lift Wuhan lockdown on April 8

CHANGES DECK, ADDS DEATH TOLL, NEW CASES IN CHINA, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Sorwar Alam, Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – China will lift the months-long lockdown in the city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak originated, on April 8.

According to Xinhua News Agency, authorities in Hubei province, the capital of which is Wuhan, have announced a series of new regulations to be enforced while restrictions on movement are eased.

The city of 11 million was put in lockdown on Jan. 23 in order to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far claimed nearly 3,300 lives and infected more than 81,000 people across mainland China.

In a statement on Tuesday, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) reported 78 new cases in the country.

The statement said 74 of the new cases were people who came from abroad, raising the tally of overseas cases to 427.

The commission also reported seven deaths in China, all of them in Wuhan.

The decision to end the lockdown was taken after Wuhan reported no new indigenous cases over a period of five days.

However, a case of local transmission was confirmed in the city on Tuesday.

According to the commission, the number of COVID-19 cases in China now stands at 81,171 and the death toll is at 3,277.

A total of 73,159 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

Hong Kong reported 30 new cases, including six people from abroad, on Tuesday, taking its total to 386.

Macau has 35 cases, while Taiwan has a total of 195 COVID-19 cases.

NHC said four people died and 101 have recovered in Hong Kong, while there have been no deaths and 10 recoveries in Macau.

Taiwan has two deaths and 29 people have recovered, the NHC added.

Since emerging in Wuhan last December, the coronavirus has spread to at least 168 countries and territories, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows the number of confirmed cases worldwide is now over 383,900 and the death toll has topped 16,500, while more than 101,900 people have recovered.