COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory

Main article: 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak

Map of the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak (as of 3 November 2024):

  Region of origin (Mainland China)

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

Updated November 3, 2024.

COVID-19 pandemic by location

	Location	Cases	Deaths
	World	776,695,852	7,072,496
	European Union	186,241,416	1,265,093
	United States	103,436,829	1,205,461
	China	99,381,002	122,367
	India	45,044,081	533,652
	France	39,023,328	168,091
	Germany	38,437,756	174,979
	Brazil	37,511,921	702,116
	South Korea	34,571,873	35,934
	Japan	33,803,572	74,694
	Italy	26,826,486	197,542
	United Kingdom	25,006,869	232,112
	Russia	24,547,989	403,508
	Turkey	17,004,728	101,419
	Spain	13,980,340	121,852
	Australia	11,861,161	25,236
	Vietnam	11,624,000	43,206
	Argentina	10,105,599	130,693
	Taiwan	9,970,937	17,672
	Netherlands	8,644,223	22,986
	Iran	7,627,863	146,837
	Mexico	7,622,259	334,764
	Indonesia	6,829,668	162,059
	Poland	6,755,185	120,875
	Colombia	6,394,306	142,727
	Austria	6,082,821	22,534
	Greece	5,724,778	39,606
	Portugal	5,669,374	29,018
	Ukraine	5,541,734	109,923
	Chile	5,403,559	64,482
	Malaysia	5,316,630	37,351
	Belgium	4,888,331	34,339
	Israel	4,841,558	12,707
	Canada	4,819,055	55,282
	Czech Republic	4,807,669	43,660
	Thailand	4,803,135	34,733
	Peru	4,526,977	220,975
	Switzerland	4,466,918	14,170
	Philippines	4,173,631	66,864
	South Africa	4,072,813	102,595
	Romania	3,566,466	68,899
	Denmark	3,442,484	9,919
	Singapore	3,006,155	2,024
	Hong Kong	2,876,106	13,466
	Sweden	2,764,353	27,928
	New Zealand	2,650,294	4,435
	Serbia	2,583,470	18,057
	Iraq	2,465,545	25,375
	Hungary	2,235,887	49,084
	Bangladesh	2,051,455	29,499
	Slovakia	1,883,245	21,247
	Georgia	1,863,615	17,150
	Republic of Ireland	1,750,342	9,900
	Jordan	1,746,997	14,122
	Pakistan	1,580,631	30,656
	Norway	1,523,402	5,732
	Kazakhstan	1,504,370	19,072
	Finland	1,499,712	11,466
	Lithuania	1,398,560	9,847
	Slovenia	1,359,672	9,914
	Croatia	1,347,441	18,774
	Bulgaria	1,337,252	38,743
	Morocco	1,279,115	16,305
	Puerto Rico	1,252,713	5,938
	Guatemala	1,250,392	20,203
	Lebanon	1,239,904	10,947
	Costa Rica	1,235,662	9,374
	Bolivia	1,212,149	22,387
	Tunisia	1,153,361	29,423
	Cuba	1,113,662	8,530
	Ecuador	1,078,766	36,054
	United Arab Emirates	1,067,030	2,349
	Panama	1,044,987	8,756
	Uruguay	1,041,640	7,684
	Mongolia	1,011,489	2,136
	Nepal	1,003,450	12,031
	Belarus	994,038	7,118
	Latvia	977,765	7,475
	Saudi Arabia	841,469	9,646
	Azerbaijan	836,462	10,353
	Paraguay	735,759	19,880
	Cyprus	708,559	1,492
	Palestine	703,228	5,708
	Bahrain	696,614	1,536
	Sri Lanka	672,802	16,907
	Kuwait	667,290	2,570
	Dominican Republic	661,103	4,384
	Moldova	650,542	12,280
	Myanmar	643,209	19,494
	Estonia	610,471	2,998
	Venezuela	552,695	5,856
	Egypt	516,023	24,830
	Qatar	514,524	690
	Libya	507,269	6,437
	Ethiopia	501,239	7,574
	Réunion	494,595	921
	Honduras	472,909	11,114
	Armenia	452,977	8,778
	Bosnia and Herzegovina	403,890	16,400
	Oman	399,449	4,628
	Luxembourg	395,802	1,000
	North Macedonia	352,032	9,990
	Zambia	349,892	4,078
	Brunei	349,170	181
	Kenya	344,109	5,689
	Albania	337,192	3,608
	Botswana	330,696	2,801
	Mauritius	329,121	1,074
	Kosovo	274,279	3,212
	Algeria	272,173	6,881
	Nigeria	267,189	3,155
	Zimbabwe	266,396	5,740
	Montenegro	251,280	2,654
	Afghanistan	235,214	7,998
	Mozambique	233,845	2,252
	Martinique	230,354	1,104
	Laos	219,060	671
	Iceland	210,656	186
	Guadeloupe	203,235	1,021
	El Salvador	201,960	4,230
	Trinidad and Tobago	191,496	4,390
	Maldives	186,694	316
	Uzbekistan	175,081	1,016
	Namibia	172,556	4,110
	Ghana	172,210	1,462
	Uganda	172,159	3,632
	Jamaica	157,322	3,618
	Cambodia	139,324	3,056
	Rwanda	133,266	1,468
	Cameroon	125,279	1,974
	Malta	123,114	925
	Barbados	108,835	593
	Angola	107,482	1,937
	Democratic Republic of the Congo	100,976	1,474
	French Guiana	98,041	413
	Senegal	89,312	1,972
	Malawi	89,168	2,686
	Kyrgyzstan	88,953	1,024
	Ivory Coast	88,448	835
	Suriname	82,503	1,406
	New Caledonia	80,203	314
	French Polynesia	79,451	650
	Eswatini	75,356	1,427
	Guyana	74,491	1,302
	Belize	71,430	688
	Fiji	69,047	885
	Madagascar	68,575	1,428
	Jersey	66,391	161
	Cabo Verde	64,474	417
	Sudan	63,993	5,046
	Mauritania	63,876	997
	Bhutan	62,697	21
	Syria	57,423	3,163
	Burundi	54,569	15
	Guam	52,287	419
	Seychelles	51,892	172
	Gabon	49,056	307
	Andorra	48,015	159
	Papua New Guinea	46,864	670
	Curaçao	45,883	305
	Aruba	44,224	292
	Tanzania	43,263	846
	Mayotte	42,027	187
	Togo	39,533	290
	Bahamas	39,127	849
	Guinea	38,582	468
	Isle of Man	38,008	116
	Lesotho	36,138	709
	Guernsey	35,326	67
	Faroe Islands	34,658	28
	Haiti	34,555	860
	Mali	33,171	743
	Federated States of Micronesia	31,765	65
	Cayman Islands	31,472	37
	Saint Lucia	30,288	410
	Benin	28,036	163
	Somalia	27,334	1,361
	Solomon Islands	25,954	199
	United States Virgin Islands	25,389	132
	San Marino	25,292	126
	Republic of the Congo	25,234	389
	Timor-Leste	23,460	138
	Burkina Faso	22,146	400
	Liechtenstein	21,603	89
	Gibraltar	20,550	113
	Grenada	19,693	238
	Bermuda	18,860	165
	South Sudan	18,847	147
	Tajikistan	17,786	125
	Monaco	17,181	67
	Equatorial Guinea	17,130	183
	Samoa	17,057	31
	Tonga	16,992	13
	Marshall Islands	16,297	17
	Nicaragua	16,194	245
	Dominica	16,047	74
	Djibouti	15,690	189
	Central African Republic	15,443	113
	Northern Mariana Islands	14,985	41
	Gambia	12,627	372
	Collectivity of Saint Martin	12,324	46
	Vanuatu	12,019	14
	Greenland	11,971	21
	Yemen	11,945	2,159
	Caribbean Netherlands	11,922	41
	Sint Maarten	11,051	92
	Eritrea	10,189	103
	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	9,674	124
	Guinea-Bissau	9,614	177
	Niger	9,528	315
	Comoros	9,109	160
	Antigua and Barbuda	9,106	146
	American Samoa	8,359	34
	Liberia	8,090	294
	Sierra Leone	7,985	126
	Chad	7,702	194
	British Virgin Islands	7,628	64
	Cook Islands	7,375	2
	Turks and Caicos Islands	6,824	40
	Sao Tome and Principe	6,771	80
	Saint Kitts and Nevis	6,607	46
	Palau	6,372	10
	Saint Barthélemy	5,507	5
	Nauru	5,393	1
	Kiribati	5,085	24
	Anguilla	3,904	12
	Wallis and Futuna	3,760	9
	Macau	3,514	121
	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	3,426	2
	Tuvalu	2,943	1
	Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	2,166	0
	Falkland Islands	1,923	0
	Montserrat	1,403	8
	Niue	1,092	0
	Tokelau	80	0
	Vatican City	26	0
	Pitcairn Islands	4	0
	Turkmenistan	0	0
	North Korea	0	0

This article documents countries affected by and responses to the coronavirus responsible for the 2019–20 outbreak in Wuhan, China, and may not include all the contemporary major responses and measures.

Confirmed cases

As of 21 February 2020, a total of 76,727 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were confirmed in 30 countries and territories, including 1,262 cases outside of mainland China. Template:2019–20 Wuhan coronavirus data/International medical cases

Africa

Egypt

Map of the outbreak in Egypt
(as of 14 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

All flights from China to Egypt have been banned since 26 January. Egypt's health ministry announced the first case in the country at Cairo International Airport involving a Chinese national on 14 February. Egyptian authorities had notified the World Health Organization (WHO) and the patient had been placed in quarantined isolation in hospital. Preventive measures were subsequently taken to monitor those who came into contact with the person where the others tested negative for the virus.

Americas

Canada

Map of the outbreak in Canada
(as of 30 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) implemented signage in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal airports to raise awareness of the virus and has added a health screening question to the electronic kiosks for passengers arriving from central China; however, there are no direct flights from Wuhan to Canada.

On 23 January, Minister of Health Patty Hajdu said that five or six people were being monitored for signs of the virus, including at least one in Quebec (who has since been cleared) and another in Vancouver.

On 25 January, the first presumptive case in Canada was admitted to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and placed into a negative pressure chamber. The patient, a male in his 50s who travelled between Wuhan and Guangzhou before returning to Toronto on 22 January, contacted emergency services following rapid onset symptoms. The presumption of infection in the patient was made after a rapid test was done at Public Health Ontario's Toronto laboratory. Final testing conducted at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba validated the presumptive confirmation on 27 January. Authorities said that the patient was experiencing respiratory problems but was in stable condition. His condition later improved and he was released from hospital on 31 January.

On 27 January, the Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario announced the man's wife as the second presumptive case. This case was confirmed the following day. Officials reported that she was in good condition and that she was asymptomatic.

On 28 January, the first presumptive case in British Columbia was announced. The individual, a male in his 40s and a resident of the Vancouver area, had travelled regularly to China for work. Officials reported that he had returned from Wuhan on his most recent voyage and he sought medical attention on 26 January following symptom onset and he has since been in self-isolation at home. A diagnostic test was conducted and it returned positive for the virus. The case was later confirmed and validated by the National Microbiology Laboratory on 29 January. The Minister of Health and Provincial Health Officer for British Columbia Adrian Dix said that officials were in contact with a "small number" of people who may have interacted with the individual.

As of 29 January, the Government of Canada issued a travel advisory to avoid non-essential travel to China due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The Government of Canada also issued a regional travel advisory to avoid all travel to the Province of Hubei—including the cities of Wuhan, Huanggang and Ezhou—due to the imposition of heavy travel restrictions in order to limit the spread of the virus. On the same day, the Minister of Foreign Affairs François-Philippe Champagne announced that an aircraft would be sent to repatriate Canadians from the areas affected by the virus in China. As a result of the travel advisories issued by the Canadian government, Air Canada suspended all direct flights to China until at least 29 February.

On 31 January, the third case in Ontario (and the fourth case in Canada) was reported in the city of London. Officials said that the individual, a woman in her 20s and a student at University of Western Ontario, returned from Wuhan on 23 January. She was asymptomatic and had tested negative at first, but additional advanced testing confirmed that the woman had low levels of the virus in her system. Officials said that the individual wore a mask during her voyage and she voluntarily entered self-isolation upon her return, making a full recovery after two or three days. On the same day, the Government of Ontario reported that 17 cases were under investigation within its provincial jurisdiction. Officials said that most of the individuals under investigation were awaiting results while in self-isolation at home. As of 30 January, the associate medical officer of Ontario said that the province had conducted a total of 67 tests with 38 negative results. Officials said that all possible cases—including previous negative results—were being retested as additional assessments become available.

As of 6 February, there were two presumptive cases in BC involving a man and a woman in their 30s.

On 14 February, BC reported a fifth case involving a woman who came back to Vancouver from Shanghai when she began to report symptoms.

On 20 February, BC announced a sixth case in the province involving a woman in her 30s who returned from Iran.

Canadians who are stuck in areas of China hit by the coronavirus were informed in early February that they can leave the country once a chartered plane is able to fly into the country, but not their spouses/children due to having Chinese nationality.

United States

Main article: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in the United States

The first case was confirmed in a 35-year-old man living in Snohomish County, Washington. The man had recently travelled from Wuhan to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. He was released from the hospital on 3 February after two weeks of treatment.

On 13 February, the CDC confirmed the fifteenth case in another US national evacuated from Wuhan being held in quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in San Antonio, Texas.

Asia

Cambodia

Map of the outbreak in Cambodia
(as of 29 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 27 January, Cambodia confirmed its first case in Sihanoukville, a 60-year-old Chinese man travelling to the coastal city from Wuhan with his family. Three other members of his family were placed under quarantine as they did not appear to have symptoms, while he was placed in a separate room at the Preah Sihanouk Referral Hospital. He was reportedly in a stable condition.

A pharmacy shelf in Kep, Cambodia, sold out of hand sanitizer the day after Cambodia's first case was confirmed

The cruise ship MS Westerdam arrived in Sihanoukville on 13 February after it had been rejected by other countries due to virus concerns. Hundreds of passengers disembarked there. On 15 February, one of them was stopped in Malaysia and later tested positive, leading to concern that other passengers may also have been infected.

Mainland China

Main article: Mainland China during the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak

coronavirus outbreak in China

COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
Rolling average of confirmed COVID-19 cases per day in mainland China
Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Location	Mainland China
First outbreak	Wuhan, Hubei
Index case	1 December 2019 (4 years, 11 months and 2 days ago)
Confirmed cases	99,381,002 503,302 (symptomatic)
Suspected cases‡	1.1 billion+ (CCDC estimate in January 2022)
Recovered	379,053
Deaths	122,367
Vaccinations	1,318,026,800 (total vaccinated) 1,284,479,600 (fully vaccinated) 3,516,880,600 (doses administered)
‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed by laboratory tests as being due to this strain, although some other strains may have been ruled out.

The COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). China was where the first COVID outbreak occurred, the first where authorities imposed drastic measures in response (including lockdowns and face mask mandates), and was one of the first countries to bring the outbreak under control, at least temporarily.

The 2019–2020 COVID-19 outbreak in mainland China was the first wave of the disease, and was first manifested as a cluster of mysterious pneumonia cases, mostly related to the Huanan Seafood Market, in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. It was first reported to the local government on 27 December 2019 and published on 31 December. On 8 January 2020, a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the cause of the pneumonia by Chinese scientists. By 29 January, the virus was found to have spread to all provinces of mainland China.

By late February, the pandemic had been brought under control in most Chinese provinces. On 25 February, the reported number of newly confirmed cases outside mainland China exceeded those reported from within for the first time. By mid-2020, widespread community transmission in China had been ended, and restrictions were significantly eased.

Until late 2022, the Chinese government response included a zero-COVID strategy, which aims to eliminate transmission of the virus within the country and allow resumption of normal economic and social activity, making it one of few countries to pursue this approach. By late 2020, China's economy continued to broaden recovery from the recession during the pandemic, with stable job creation and record international trade growth, although retail consumption was still slower than predicted.

Infection rates increased in 2022, and on 3 April of that year, China reported 13,146 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which was the highest single-day total of new cases since the height of the 2020 outbreak. Following nationwide protests in November and December of that year, the Chinese government relaxed many of its previous restrictions, effectively ending the zero-COVID policy and leading to a massive surge in cases.

Graphics

Main article: Statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China

Context

See also: 2002–2004 SARS outbreak

New infectious diseases impose a serious threat to the health of the general public. Their origins are often mysterious despite intensive research efforts. Although human coronaviruses (CoVs) had been known as major pathogens to cause the common cold, a new species of coronavirus, namely SARS-CoV caused an epidemic involving 29 countries during 2002–03 which infected 8098 persons and killed 774 of them. The evidence shows that the virus might have originated from an animal coronavirus, but somehow entered the human population. Its outbreak also implies that animal coronaviruses could be a potential danger to humans.

Since the 2003 SARS outbreak, the general public and the scientific community in China have been worried about the potential return of the deadly virus which motivated the Chinese government to reform its public health system to handle the next public health crisis. As part of the reform, China expanded the laboratory networks to handle the pathogens of the infectious diseases which included a newly built BSL-4 laboratory in Wuhan and a national key laboratory to investigate into pneumonia with unclear causes. Zeng Guang, the chief scientist at China CDC believed that a quicker publication of the epidemic information was a lesson that China learned from the SARS outbreak as the lack of information release worsened the outbreak.

With the improved public health system, China managed to handle several public health emergencies. In coping with the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak starting from Mexico, China developed and distributed vaccines to 100 million people within months as an active prevention. During the 2013 H7N9 outbreak in East China, the country's health system identified the pathogen 5 days after the outbreak. Test kits for diagnosis were designed and distributed to all mainland provinces 3 days after the identification. Within months, effective vaccines were developed. Chinese academic Li Lanjuan and her group were the first to reveal the virus's transmission methods, molecular mechanisms and effective treatment.

However, Southern Metropolis Daily stated that although people paid more attention to public health, the government's funding to the health system was far from enough as CDCs in smaller municipalities had to reduce their staff. Ten years after the SARS outbreak, few people wore a face mask when they had respiratory symptoms and the hospitals were cutting the fever clinics off. Despite confidence in winning the next battle against SARS, Zhong Nanshan who earned fame in fighting the SARS outbreak in 2003 still held a conservative attitude to whether the Chinese officials would lie to the people about a disease outbreak. As of 2017, mainland China had only 36 critical care beds per million people; in comparison, South Korea had 106, and Taiwan 285, beds per million people.

Early cases surrounding the animal market suggested potential animal-to-human transmission while later the virus was found to be able to transmit from ill people to others. There have been cases where asymptomatic patients transmitted the virus to others. According to China NHC, the virus transmits by droplets or close contact while some proposed that feces could also be where the virus hides and transmits from. The typical symptoms of the viral infection included fever, dry cough, dyspnea, headache and pneumonia which are usually developed after an incubation time lasting as long as 2 weeks. The existence of mild but infectious cases complicated the epidemic control efforts. It is also noticed that patients might be able to transmit the virus even during the incubation period.

Financial Times described the outbreak as China's Chernobyl moment, increasing the pressure on its leader, Xi Jinping. A trade war with the US, the Hong Kong protests, and an African swine fever outbreak that led to a pork shortage already placed pressure on the current government.

At the end of December 2019, Henan announced the suspension of passenger trains to and from Wuhan. In early January 2020, the local government of Henan Province with its complete disinfection measures, effective and intensive publicity, a strong awareness of epidemic prevention and quarantine among the people, the setting up of return spots at the village entrance and even the use of garbage trucks, the digging of trenches to block roads connecting Hubei and the hanging of slogans such as "returning home with sickness is to dishonor your parents." #抄河南的作业 (lit. 'copy Henan's homework') became a trending hashtag on Weibo.

However, cutting the roads off without authorization is illegal in mainland China as Xinhua and the Public Security Ministry pointed out. The Ministry of Transport asked the local governments to take the principle of "block one, not three" (Chinese: 一断三不断), that is, to block the virus from spreading, but not to block roads, traffic and Internet access, the transportation of emergency supplies and the transportation of essential goods.

Staff examining cars for epidemic control at Qujiang entry to Xi'an Bypass

Body temperature screening at Jishuitan subway station, Beijing

First outbreak

Main article: 2019-2020 COVID-19 outbreak in mainland China

Further information: COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei

See also: Investigations into the origin of COVID-19

Based on retrospective analysis published in The Lancet in late January, the first confirmed patient started experiencing symptoms on 1 December 2019, though the South China Morning Post later reported that a retrospective analysis showed the first case may have been a 55-year-old patient from Hubei province as early as 17 November.

The outbreak went unnoticed until 26 December 2019, when Zhang Jixian, director of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Hubei Xinhua Hospital, noticed a cluster of patients with pneumonia of unknown origin, several of whom had connections to the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan. She subsequently alerted the hospital, as well as municipal and provincial health authorities, which issued an alert on 30 December. Results from patient samples obtained on 29–30 December indicated the presence of a novel coronavirus, related to SARS.

Most people on a bus wearing a mask, Hubei province, 23 January 2020.

Semi-log graph of new cases and deaths in China during COVID-19 epidemic showing the lockdown and lifting

Semi-log graph of 3-day rolling average of new cases and deaths in China during COVID-19 epidemic showing the lockdown on 23 January and partial lifting on 19 March.

Within three weeks of the first known cases, the government built sixteen large mobile hospitals in Wuhan and sent 40,000 medical staff to the city.

Spread beyond Wuhan

Number of cases (blue) and number of deaths (red) on a logarithmic scale. Numbers including Hong Kong and Macau.

See also: Current toll of confirmed cases, deaths and recovery by province

On 22 January, Hubei launched a Class 2 Response to Public Health Emergency. Ahead of the Hubei authorities, a Class 1 Response to Public Health Emergency, the highest response level was announced by the mainland province of Zhejiang on 23. Stringent measures such as lockdown of Wuhan and the wider Hubei province and face mask mandates were introduced around 23 January, which significantly lowered and delayed the epidemic peak according to epidemiology modelling. Guangdong and Hunan followed suit later on the day. On the following day, Hubei and other 13 mainland provinces also launched a Class 1 Response. By 29, all parts of mainland initiated a Class 1 Response after Tibet upgraded its response level on that day.

Yet, by 29 January, the virus was found to have spread to all provinces of mainland China. Hubei party secretary Jiao Chaoliang was removed from office for failure to contain the outbreak. On 31 January, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. A severe shortage of face masks and other protective gear led several countries to send international aid, including medical supplies, to China.

On 25 March, authorities began to lift travel restrictions in Hubei outside of Wuhan and people need to confirm their "Green Code" health classification to travel.

On 8 April, Wuhan lifts its lockdown, all transportation in the city were resumed.

April 2020–December 2021

2020

On 2 April 2020, the government ordered a Hubei-like lockdown in Jia County, Henan, after a woman tested positive for the COVID-19. It is suspected that she may have been infected when she visited a hospital where three doctors tested positive for the virus, despite showing no symptoms.

On 9 April, a COVID-19 cluster was detected in Heilongjiang Province, which started with an asymptomatic patient returning from the United States and quarantining at home. The US CDC reported that the infections were initially spread through a shared elevator used at different times, and led to at least 71 cases by 22 April.

In early May, restrictions were tightened in Harbin.

In June, an outbreak with 45 people testing positive at Xinfadi Market in Beijing caused some alarm. Authorities closed the market and nearby schools; eleven neighborhoods in the Fengtai District started requiring temperature checks and were closed to visitors. By this time, public health technology included special leaf blower backpacks designed to vent hot air onto outdoor surfaces. By the evening of 23 June, Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan declared that the situation had been brought under control. China's traffic authorities vowed to strictly guard traffic out of Beijing: those with abnormal health QR codes or without recently-taken negative PCR test proof would not be allowed to take public transportation or drive out of the capital.

On 26 July, China saw its highest number of daily cases since March, mostly from outbreaks in Xinjiang and Liaoning. with 61 new cases, up from 46 cases a day earlier, This increased to 127 daily COVID cases on 30 July. The daily reported cases subsequently went down, to 16 on 23 August.

In July, Xinjiang province and its capital Ürümqi were locked down in the wake of the discovery of new cases in the city.

On 11 October, officials in Qingdao urged to carry out contact tracing and mass testing after 12 new cases were found connected to the Qingdao Chest Hospital. On 12 October, it was announced that Qingdao would test all 9 million of its residents.

In October, 137 asymptomatic cases were detected in Kashgar, Xinjiang and were linked to a garment factory.

On 18 December, a local case was reported in Beijing. It was the first local infection in 152 days in Beijing. As of 27 December, thirteen more cases have been detected. Another outbreak linked to a traveler from South Korea was reported in Liaoning late December.

2021

In January 2021, many cities and districts in the province of Hebei, Jilin and Heilongjiang were put into lockdown to contain a new outbreak in the region.

On 7 January, Dalian authorities reported 51 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 31 asymptomatic carriers.

On 6 January, after reporting 63 new cases in the northern province of Hebei, of which 20 were infections and 43 asymptomatic cases locally transmitted, the local Government decided to lockdown the provincial capital city of Shijiazhuang, as most of the cases were detected there. On 9 January, the cities of Shijiazhuang and Xingtai with total population of 19 million, were placed under lockdown measures, with passenger trains suspended, as well as flights and coach service to Beijing at 300 km distance in north east direction.

On 14 January, Wangkui County of Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province moved into lockdown after reporting 40 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The virus sample taken from the cases in Suihua is reported to be similar to the strain identified in Dalian.

Also on 14 January, China reported the first death from the virus after eight months, a patient from Hebei. A team of experts from the WHO visited Wuhan to conduct investigations into the origin of the pandemic. They were also supposed to quarantine for two weeks prior to starting their inquiry. On 15 January, the city of Langfang of Hebei was put into lockdown.

By 18 January 11 regions in China were under de facto lockdown, including five districts in Heilongjiang and the cities of Gongzhuling and Tonghua in Jilin province. On 20 January, residents of Daxing District of Beijing were banned from leaving the capital region.

On 4 April, China saw the largest number of reported COVID-19 cases in over two months, with 15 new reported cases of local transmission in the city of Ruili on the Burmese border. This followed a previous outbreak in Ruili in September 2020. Unauthorized border crossings from Myanmar remain a concern, and the local government has started vaccinating Ruili residents to work towards herd immunity.

On 29 May, authorities shut down some streets in Liwan District in Guangzhou due to an outbreak in Guangdong province. Foshan's Shadi Airport has cancelled all flights and suspended operations from 12 June.

On 6 June, Ruili was again put into lockdown after three local infections associated with the Delta variant.

On 10 July, it was reported that the new outbreak has spread to 13 cities in five provinces including the capital Beijing. The cases were linked to cleaners who worked on a flight from Russia that arrived in Nanjing on 10 July 2021 who did not follow strict hygiene measures. Officials added that the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus was behind these new infections and there are worries about whether the Chinese vaccines would work against the Delta variant.

On 21 July, another local cluster was identified in Nanjing after 17 airport workers have tested positive during a routine check up. By 2 August, the outbreak, caused by fast-spreading Delta variant, has reached more than 20 cities. Zhuzhou, Zhangjiajie and Yangzhou were forced into lockdowns. Some flights, trains and buses to Beijing have been cancelled to guard the capital against the new surge.

On 11 September, another cluster of infections was found in Xianyou county of Putian, Fujian province. Multiple clusters have also emerged in Bayan county of Harbin, Heilongjiang, the source of infections remains unclear.

On 23 October, China reported the highest number of new cases since the September outbreak in Fujian, with domestic infections reported in Ejin Banner of Inner Mongolia and in Lanzhou, Gansu and new cases reported in Beijing, Ningxia, Jiangxi and Yunnan. Another outbreak by imported case was reported in the northern border town of Heihe, Heilongjiang province.

On 26 October, the city of Lanzhou was put into lockdown after six new cases were detected.

In early November, Dalian reported more than 80 cases of COVID-19, the first of which occurred in a warehouse worker in the Zhuanghe district of the city on 4 November. In response, on 8 November local authorities ordered all businesses handling imported chilled and frozen foods to suspend operations.

In mid-December, the outbreak in the cities of Ningbo, Shaoxing and Hangzhou was developing at a "relatively rapid" speed, forcing closure of flights and venues. The outbreak began to subside from mid December, with Hangzhou resuming low-risk status as of 21 December.

On 22 December, the border city of Dongxing next to Vietnam has ordered residents to stay at home due to one COVID-19 case. The strict measures resulted in severe backlog of trucks at the border crossings and disrupted trade, prompting the Vietnam government to complain.

From 23 December 2021, the city of Xi'an with 13 million people was put into strict lockdown after local authorities reported more than 250 cases, traced to the Delta variant by authorities. The lockdown led to stressed healthcare and delayed or insufficient food deliveries to some parts of the city.

On 26 December 155 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms were reported from Xi'an, contributing the largest part to the countrywide highest daily count since the outbreak in Wuhan, of 158 cases. The city was placed into strict lockdown until 24 January 2022.

The city of Ruili bordering Myanmar was reported to have endured four lockdowns with 200 days in total in 2021.

2022: Outbreaks and end of lockdowns

On 4 January 2022, 1.1 million people in Yuzhou, Henan received stay at home order after three asymptomatic COVID-19 cases were reported. In the evening of the same day, Zhengzhou told its residents in risky areas that they could not leave the city without approval from health control authorities. The Xi'an outbreak appeared to ease, with 35 local symptomatic cases reported that day.

On 11 January, the city of Zhengzhou has upgraded measures and closed down non-essential services during a citywide mass testing campaign while Anyang has been placed under lockdown.

On 24 January, lockdown restrictions were lifted in Xi'an while 2 million residents of Fengtai district of Beijing underwent mass testing. On 25 January, the border city of Suifenhe was placed into lockdown.

On 7 February, the city of Baise in Guangxi province has been placed under lockdown after 37 symptomatic cases were reported on the day before.

On 11 March, the city of Changchun of Jilin Province was placed into lockdown after the highest single day spike in cases since the Wuhan outbreak was reported. Food shortages related to shutdown measures were reported. Sporadic outbreaks have been reported in Laixi and Huangdao of Shandong province.

On 14 March, the city of Shenzhen was placed on lockdown, with factories halting production after new virus cases doubled nationwide to almost 3,400. The neighboring city of Hong Kong was also battling a severe outbreak since January. Schools and public transport were closed in Shanghai and people were forbidden to enter or exit Jilin as the entire province is closed to curb the virus spread.

On 15 March, the whole area of Langfang city, Hebei and the factory center of Dongguan in Guangdong were put into lockdown. The earlier shutdown of Shenzhen has forced manufacturers such as Toyota, Volkswagen and Apple's supplier Foxconn to suspend operations. The Shenzhen lockdowns ended on 23 March.

On 20 March, China reported its first COVID-19 deaths since January 2021 and the first double daily toll since May 2020, with both fatalities coming from Jilin.

On 23 March, lockdowns were implemented in the cities of Tangshan and Shenyang.

On 28 March, the Shanghai city government announced the largest city-wide lockdown in China since the outbreak began in which Shanghai will be locked down in two stages. The city of Shanghai became the country's COVID-19 epicenter after a surge in cases. Shanghai's lockdowns has hit operations at the city's ports, causing disruptions on the logistical chain to the manufacturing hubs nearby. There were reports of panic buying to stock up supplies in the city.

On 30 March, the city of Xuzhou in Jiangsu has imposed a three-days lockdown.

On 3 April, China reported 13,146 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which was the highest single-day total of new cases since the height of the pandemic in Wuhan in February 2020.

On 4 April, officials in Suzhou announced a new mutation of the Omicron variant was detected in Changshu. The city of Baicheng in Inner Mongolia was put into lockdown.

March–May 2022 Shanghai outbreak

Further information: COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai March 2022

By 9 April, it is estimated that 23 Chinese cities, home to an estimated 193 million people and contribute 22% of China's GDP, have been implementing either full or partial lockdowns. In Shanghai, residents have reported food shortages due to lockdown measures The city's health system has shown signs of strain as patients were turned away from hospitals as wards were closed and medical staff have been deployed to quarantine hospitals. A series of deaths were reported at the Shanghai Donghai Elderly Care hospital, which their relatives blame on lack of care due to hospital staff being taken away for quarantine. Videos have emerged on social media showing Shanghai residents engaging in protests and clashes with police over quarantine policies.

Increasing of rolling lockdown measures

On 11 April, authorities in Guangzhou closed the city to most arrivals and only allowed citizens with a "definite need" to leave. Lockdown measures continue to spread to other cities in China as restrictions on movement were reported in Suzhou, Zhengzhou, Taiyuan and Ningde.

On 16 April, a temporary partial lockdown was again imposed in Xi'an after dozens of infections were reported.

On 19 April, Tangshan re-enforced partial lockdowns in some of its districts.

On 26 April, Baotou in Inner Mongolia announced it will lock down for a week while Beijing begins mass testing of nearly all of its 21 million residents. On 28 April, Hangzhou started mass testing while the wholesale hub of Yiwu and the port city of Qinhuangdao were put into lockdown.

On 30 April, China recorded 47 deaths from Covid within 24 hours, bringing the total toll above 5,000. A Caixin media report cited that Handan, Lu'an, Quanzhou, Suqian, Wuhu, Xining, Xuzhou along with many cities in Jilin, Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu and Shaanxi was locked down in April, with more than 30 million people affected.

The province of Jilin began to gradually lift COVID-19 control measures from the end of April. It reported a GDP shrinkage of 7.9% during the first quarter of 2022.

On 3 May, the city of Zhengzhou imposed new movement restrictions, which halts all activities and only allows each household to one person with a negative test result to go out once a day to purchase basic supplies.

On 13 May, Beijing authorities announced that parts of Chaoyang, Fangshan and Shunyi districts would be subject to tighter curbs. On 22 May, lockdowns have been imposed on those three districts along with Haidian and Fengtai.

On 24 May, the city of Tianjin locked down its central district, causing delays and blank sailings at its ports.

On 31 May, Shanghai began to start lifting its strict lockdown measures, allowing people to return to work and malls and shops to re-open in "low-risk" areas. In some neighborhoods and districts, residents were ordered to stay home until mid-June after completion of rounds of rigorous testing.

On 6 June, Beijing authorities further relaxed curbs by allowing indoor dining while the city of Erenhot and the Sonid Right Banner of Xilin Gol, Inner Mongolia have imposed lockdowns.

On 13 June, an outbreak linked to a nightclub forced Beijing authorities to shut down the Workers' Stadium and Sanlitun leisure and nightlife districts. Despite the flare up, Beijing declared an "initial victory" over COVID-19 on 16 June and allowed schools to resume in-class teaching on 27 June.

On 29 June, the county of Sixian of Anhui was put into lockdown. On July 1, Anhui put a second county, Lingbi, under lockdown.

On 6 July, Shanghai reported the most virus infections since late May, with sporadic cases also propped up in Xuzhou and Wuxi. On 9 July, the city of Haikou on Hainan Island imposed seven-day restrictions that shut down businesses and public venues.

On 10 July, Qinyang in Henan province almost completely locked down its residents while Xi'an and Lanzhou moved to tighter curbs. On 12 July, Wugang, Zhumadian and Pingdingshan in Henan implemented a three days implementation of strict closed control.

On 13 July, Huaiyuan of Anhui and Lanzhou of Gansu were reported to have shifted into full lockdown. On 14 July, China reported an increase in cases tally as a new cluster emerged around Beihai, Guangxi. On 17 July, lockdown was imposed in Beihai and the tourist island of Weizhou, trapping more than 2,000 holidaymakers. Dandong's mayor has apologised for an over 50-day lockdown that the North Korea-bordering city had to endure.

On 27 July, authorities in Wuhan shut down Jiangxia District of almost a million people after detecting four asymptomatic cases.

Throughout July, Shenzhen's biggest manufacturers including Foxconn, Huawei and BYD were forced to operate within a "closed loop" restricted system as the manufacturing hub was battling its latest Covid outbreak.

On 3 August, the export hub of Yiwu in Zhejiang suspended public gatherings and locked down some areas to cope with COVID-19 flare ups.

On 6 August, authorities in the resort city of Sanya of Hainan announced movement restrictions after hundreds of cases were reported, leaving around 80,000 tourists stranded. Danzhou, Qionghai and other cities on the island also enforced lockdown measures.

On 8 August, Lhasa, the regional capital of Tibet recorded one symptomatic patient and seventeen asymptomatic cases while Shigatse, Tibet's second biggest city imposed three days of curbs. The region reported only one infection in 2020, and had remained clear of cases since then. On 10 August, Ürümqi in Xinjiang started a five-day lockdown of its key districts. Other cities in Xinjiang including Yining, Korla, Aksu and Turpan were also hit by circuit breaking mechanism.

On 21 August, Taigu and Pingyao of Shanxi and Nanchong of Sichuan went into lockdown. On 28 August, Hebei authorities issued a stay-at-home order for residents of Xianghe, Zhuozhou and all urban districts of Shijiazhuang. On 31 August, Daqing in Heilongjiang was put into lockdown.

On 1 September, Chengdu announced a lockdown of its 21.2 million residents, the most populous city to be locked down since Shanghai in earlier 2022. Other major cities including Shenzhen and Dalian also stepped up COVID restrictions. On 5 September, Guiyang sealed off six of its districts to contain Covid outbreak. On 15 September, lockdowns were mostly lifted in Chengdu, save for six districts.

On 18 September, a bus carrying 47 people from Guiyang being taken to quarantine in Libo County crashed in Sandu County of Guizhou province, killing 27 on board. The accident set off a storm of anger online over the harshness of strict COVID policies.

On 5 October, Xishuangbanna of Yunnan province went into full lockdown, leaving travellers stranded at its airport. On the same day, residents were banned from leaving Xinjiang over an outbreak, weeks after the region had been relaxing restrictions following a stringent lockdown.

On 17 October, Zhengzhou locked down its district Zhongyuan to tame a virus flareup. On 18 October, a 14-year-old girl died after falling ill in a quaratine center in Ruzhou after being denied prompt medical care, according to her family's account. The case has sparked anger online, forcing censors to remove hashtags for "Ruzhou Girl" online.

On 26 October, hundreds of migrant workers in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa took to the streets to protest harsh lockdown measures, which had been lasting for 74 days.

In late October, dozens of cities across China have again ramped up their lockdowns, including districts of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Datong and Xining, affecting more than 200 million people. In Heilongjiang province, Suihua and Mudanjiang were also experiencing outbreaks. In Zhengzhou, workers at the Foxconn factory have turned to social media for help and to voice their anger about inadequate food and lack of medical care amid strict control measures implemented on the campus. The complex employs more than 200,000 workers, thousands of them chose to escape the campus en masse, trekking across fields to return to their home.

On 2 November, the death of a 3-year-old boy to a gas leak in Lanzhou, reportedly after delay in receiving treatment due to movement restriction has triggered a wave of public anger. Videos on social media show residents taking to the streets demanding answer from authorities and buses containing SWAT teams arriving at the scene. Local authorities issued apologised the next day.

On 9 November, movement restriction measures were placed in the urban districts of Chongqing. It was reported that the city has been struggling to contain spread of virus.

Protests and end of zero-COVID measures

Main article: 2022 COVID-19 protests in China

In Guangzhou, a surge in cases has spurred blanket lockdowns in the city. On 5 November, Haizhu District was locked down and transport systems were suspended. On 9 November, the city reported more than 3,000 cases and locked down its central district of Liwan. On 14 November, it has been reported that residents in several districts have taken to the streets to protest against restriction policies. Videos posted online showed crowds crashing through lockdown barriers and marching down streets.

On 21 November, Beijing authorities shut most non-essential business and issued stay home order in the city's largest district of Chaoyang. The city reported three COVID-related deaths on the weekends before, the first deaths in mainland China since the Shanghai outbreak in May.

On 23 November, China reported 31,444 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the highest daily figure since the virus was first detected in 2019 and surpassing figures during the Shanghai outbreak between March and May. The government responded by tightening restrictions in cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Government of Changchun urged the public to halt non-essential movement and avoid going outside. In Zhengzhou, protests erupted at the Foxconn iPhone manufacturing factory campus over poor pay and restriction conditions, after authorities attempted to lock down the facility following an outbreak.

On 24 November, a building fire in under-lockdown Ürümqi killed ten people and wounded nine. This sparked widespread protests against lockdowns and COVID-19 policies across major Chinese cities, prompting the Chinese government to signal plans to ease restrictions. On 30 November, vice premier Sun Chunlan announced that pandemic controls are entering a "new stage and mission", adding that the Omicron variant is less virulent and that rectification of control methods are underway. Sun said local governments should "respond to and resolve the reasonable demands of the masses".

On 7 December, the National Health Commission announced a nationwide loosening of COVID-19 restrictions, in which PCR testing would be reduced and lockdowns would also be limited. Among the changes, the health pass application will no longer be required for entry to most public spaces and patients with mild symptoms may quarantine at home rather than in the facilities.

On 8 January 2023, the Chinese government removed some immigration restrictions and started issuing more passports to Chinese citizens and more visas to foreign nationals after almost three years of significant restrictions due to anti-pandemic control measures. The Hong Kong government also announced it would start to reopen its border with mainland China, allowing people to travel without quarantine.

On 15 March 2023, China opens its borders to foreign tourists after more than three years of restrictions by allowing all categories of visas to be issued.

December 2022–January 2023 surge

Following the rapid scaling down of stringent zero-COVID restrictions, Beijing reported a surge in COVID-19 infections. The Chinese central government's reported death statistics only include cases in which COVID-19 directly caused respiratory failure, which led to skepticism by health experts of the government's total death count. Restaurants and food delivery services were reported to have closed due to too many workers being infected and pharmacies have been emptied of medicine and disinfectant solution.

On December 10, reports of Covid surges in smaller towns across China have attracted nationwide attention. In Dazhou and Baoding, locals said that clinics are seeing an overflow in patients. The Central Economic Work Conference, a key economic policy meeting, was subsequently postponed due to the spike in infections. On 15 December, the National Health Commission has stopped reporting asymptomatic cases as it was "impossible to accurately grasp" the actual number of asymptomatic infections.

On 20 December, the Chinese State Council narrowed its definition of what would be counted as a COVID-19 death, specifying that only deaths caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure would count toward the total number of fatalities resulting from SARS-CoV-2. This decision came as long lines of hearses appeared outside of crematoriums throughout China and medical students at universities nationwide protested for better pay and increased protections at overcrowded hospitals.

On 22 December, a report by UK research firm Airfinity modelling based on regional Chinese data estimated that more than 5,000 people are probably dying each day from COVID-19 in China, with cases rising fastest in Beijing and Guangdong province. Internal minutes from a meeting of China's National Health Commission held on 21 December revealed that as many as 248 million people in China might have contracted COVID-19 over the first 20 days of December and nearly 37 million people may have been infected on a single day.

On 23 December, Qingdao's municipal health chief Bo Tao has been quoted in a news report that the city was seeing "between 490,000 and 530,000" new infections each day. On the same day, Dongguan's health commission declared on its Weixin account that the city had 250,000 to 300,000 people being infected every day. Officials in Yulin, a city of 3.6 million people in Shaanxi province, logged 157,000 new infections with models estimating more than a third of the city's population had already been infected.

On 25 December, the National Health Commission announced that it would no longer report daily COVID-19 figures. Zhejiang provincial government said it is battling around a million new infections a day and expected the number to be doubling in days ahead.

A New York Times report on 27 December shown patients in gurneys crammed into corridors in Tianjin's Medical University General Hospital. The report also highlighted a shortage of medicines and a staffing crisis in hospitals in several major cities. As China reopened in December 2022, an analysis of obituaries by the Times also found that retired Chinese scientists and scholars had begun to pass away at higher rates than would normally be expected, adding to speculation that deaths had been undercounted.

On 30 December, the World Health Organization asked the National Health Commission and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration to share more data about its surge of cases, as some countries began to require negative COVID-19 tests for Chinese travelers amid fears of new variants of concern. The WHO also invited Chinese health authorities to share "detailed data on viral sequencing" ahead of a 3 January advisory meeting.

On 3 January 2023, the People's Daily reported that up to 70% of Shanghai's population has been infected. In Ruijin Hospital, the volume of patients in the emergency unit has doubled to 1,600 people per day, 80% of them being Covid-related. Reports emerged of hospitals in the city being overcrowded and funeral homes inundated with mourners.

In a 4 January media briefing, Director Tedros Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization stated that Chinese hospitalization and mortality data lacked transparency and timeliness, while reiterating the importance of viral sequencing during the outbreak and continued vaccination efforts.

As of 6 January 2023, the infection rate of Henan province had reached 89 percent, according to Kan Quancheng, director of the province's health commission. This percentage of infections meant that roughly 88.5 million people had contracted COVID-19 within just one month of the country's reopening, though Kan noted that visits to fever clinics in the province had peaked on 19 December.

On 11 January, infections had reached 64 percent of China's population, or 900 million people, according to a Peking University study which further specified that the largely rural provinces of Gansu, Yunnan, and Qinghai had infection rates of 90%, 84%, and 80%, respectively. Earlier in January, the Chinese CDC began to focus efforts on protecting less-developed regions of the country ahead of Chunyun, the world's largest annual migration, with roughly two billion trips expected around Chinese New Year, many taking place to and from the Chinese countryside. Travellers were urged not to visit their elderly relatives to prevent them becoming infected.

On 14 January, the Chinese National Health Commission reported 59,938 COVID-related deaths from 8 December 2022 to 12 January 2023, following complaints that it was withholding data. The figure includes 5,503 people who died of respiratory failure caused by COVID and 54,435 fatalities linked to other underlying illnesses. Up until this data disclosure, the official death toll in China had previously only totaled 5,241 people for the entirety of the pandemic. Reuters reported that doctors were discouraged by hospital authorities from citing COVID-19 on death certificates.

On 21 January, the Chinese CDC estimates that as many as 80% of people have been infected, hence the possibility of a rebound in cases in the next two or three months is low. On 22 January, it reported nearly 13,000 COVID-related deaths in hospitals between 13 and 19 January.

On 25 January, the Chinese CDC released data showing the infection wave had been past its peak, with severe cases and deaths in hospitals down almost 90 per cent since infection peak . During the peak, there were 128,000 critically ill COVID patients in Chinese hospitals on 5 January and the number of deaths in hospitals reached their highest point of 4,273 cases on 4 January.

On 30 March, Chinese authorities announced a plan of random spot checks to be conducted at health facilities throughout the country in order to determine the future accuracy of local COVID data reporting amid global calls for more transparency during the winter surge.

Zhejiang provincial data, reported on in July 2023, showed a 70% increase in cremations during the first three months of 2023, an increase of 99,000 cremations compared to the first quarter of 2022. This data was subsequently taken down from public sources.

On 14 April, Chinese official data indicated that COVID-19 positivity rate went up slightly in early April, but specialists noted that it's "unlikely" China will see another wave of large-scale infections. Authorities have dropped mandatory mask requirements when using public transport, signaling the end of the pandemic according to CCDC epidemiologist Wu Zunyou.

On 22 May, leading Chinese pulmonologist Zhong Nanshan contradicted earlier predictions and noted that the first major wave of infections following the reopening surge was beginning to build, with 65 million cases per week expected by the end of June. Zhong noted that China would soon release specific vaccines tailored toward the XBB Omicron subvariants, which were likely driving the latest wave.

In November 2023, China's health authorities reported an outbreak of respiratory illnesses in several parts of northern China. The increase in these diseases was attributed the circulation of known pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2.

Impact

Education

See also: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education

On 27 January 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Education advised all higher education institutions to postpone the spring semester, with all local education departments to determine the starting time of the new semester for K-12 education and local colleges according to the decision of the local governments. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security also decided to put the new semester off for all vocational education facilities.

Religion

Further information: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion

The Chinese government, which upholds a policy of state atheism, used the pandemic to continue its antireligious campaigns, demolishing Xiangbaishu Church in Yixing and removing a Christian cross from the steeple of a church in Guiyang County.

Public discourse

In 2020 and 2021, although successive and lengthy lockdowns occasionally caused distress in border towns, the majority of publicly expressed commentary appeared to be largely in favor of China's stringent COVID mitigation strategies as necessary for the protection of human life, even to the point where complaints from locked-down residents sometimes resulted in online vitriol from compatriots outside of these regions.

In 2022, however, with highly infectious Omicron strains impacting the feasibility of China's Zero-COVID policy, public discourse inside China became increasingly divided between citizens in favor of the stringent policies as a matter of both national pride and public health necessity, and people such as university students, migrant workers, and small business owners who felt that the restrictions on movement and livelihood were, in and of themselves, a cause of undue suffering. In turn, upon the abrupt abandonment of Zero-COVID, some proponents of the discarded policy went on to criticize the government's sudden U-turn and question the need for a single, unified voice on such matters.

Other commentators reacted with anger toward participants in the recent protests, blaming them for widespread infection and death, although data pointed to Omicron having already overwhelmed the mechanisms of Zero-COVID at the time of the policy's discontinuation. Still others blamed the government for giving into popular demand and thus strengthening foreign and domestic criticism of Chinese policy.

Ultimately, lockdowns in China were highly effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and there was wide public consensus in China that the benefits outweighed the costs.

Government response

Main articles: Zero-COVID and Chinese government response to COVID-19

China is one of a small number of countries that have pursued an elimination strategy, sustaining a low case numbers between the 2020 outbreak until early 2022.

China's response to the initial Wuhan COVID-19 outbreak has been both praised and criticised. Some have criticised the censorship of information that might be unfavorable for local officials. Observers have attributed this to a culture of institutional censorship affecting the country's press and Internet. The government censored whistleblowers, journalists, and social media posts about the outbreak. During the beginning of the pandemic, the Chinese government made efforts to clamp down on discussion and hide reporting about it. Efforts to fund and control research into the virus's origins and to promote fringe theories about the virus have continued up to the present. In October 2020, The Lancet Infectious Diseases reported: "While the world is struggling to control COVID-19, China has managed to control the pandemic rapidly and effectively."

Immigration control

Further information: Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the early phase of the pandemic, Hubei suspended the processing of applications from mainland Chinese residents for entry and exit of mainland China. For those with a valid visa to enter Hong Kong and Macau, but fail to enter the areas due to the outbreak, the Chinese Immigration Administration will issue a new visa for free on request of the visa holder after the outbreak is lifted. Some of automated border clearance systems will be shut down according to the needs of the epidemic prevention. After Wuhan declared lockdown on 23 January, the Tianhe Airport and Hankou River ports have been without passengers for several days.

Since 25 January 2020, Taiwan's government banned anyone from mainland China entering the country with the ban extended to mainland Chinese overseas. On 24 August 2022, the Chinese government began to ease restrictions for foreign students, allowing them to enter the country for the first time in more than two years.

Lockdown and curfew

Main article: COVID-19 lockdown in China

Government-issued permit for Jintan residents. Jintan announced that each family should only have one member to be outdoor for shopping life necessities for every 2 days.

Ever since Hubei's lockdown, areas bordering Hubei including Yueyang in Hunan and Xinyang in Henan set up checkpoints on roads connecting to Hubei to monitor cars and people coming from Hubei. Between 24 and 25 January, the local governments of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Hainan and other areas announced to quarantine passengers from "key areas" of Hubei for 14 days. Chongqing also announced mandatory screening of every person who arrived from Wuhan since 1 January, and set up 3 treatment centers.

During the 2019–2020 COVID-19 outbreak, factories were closed or reduced production for a few weeks. When they opened again, measures were implemented to reduce risk.

Vaccination

In July 2020, the government granted an emergency use authorization for two COVID-19 vaccines. It has also pledged or provided humanitarian assistance to other countries dealing with the virus.

By June 2021, a billion doses of domestically produced vaccine had been administered in China, giving a dose rate similar to many European countries. A further billion doses had been administered by late August of the same year. Another 1 billion doses were administered by the end of January 2022. In February 2022, Pfizer's Covid therapy tablet Paxlovid has received conditional approval in China. It is the first oral pill created exclusively to treat the disease in the country.

While public authorities have mandated lockdowns and mandatory mass testing for areas with infection, there has not been any rule to making vaccination mandatory. Some facilities within China have made vaccination mandatory for entry, including things like movie theatres, fitness centres, internet bars, museums and libraries.

In July 2022, according to official figures, while 89% had received 2 doses, only 56% of eligible people had received a booster dose. Furthermore, this was even lower among vulnerable elderly age groups, with only 19.7% of people over the age of 80 having received a booster dose. According to BBC reporting, this may have been attributed to public confidence in the ability of authorities to control outbreaks, the narrative presented by public authorities within China that the virus was mainly an overseas problem as well as some doctors within China who warned vulnerable people of the health risks of the vaccine.

Since 25 January 2020, all passengers entering or exiting mainland China in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong must write a health declaration where the individual must answer whether they have been to Hubei Province. This declaration form can also be filled by using WeChat.

China has provided vaccines to other countries. In November 2021, the Chinese government pledged to provide 1 billion vaccine doses to African countries, including 600 million donated doses and 400 million other doses, in addition to the 200 million doses it had already provided. In the same announcement, Xi pledged additional investment in Africa and promised to send 1,500 public health experts.

Credit rating relief

On February 1, 2020, the People's Bank of China announced it would temporarily suspend the inclusion of mortgage and credit card payments in the credit record of people impacted by the pandemic. Private financial credit scoring companies, including Sesame Credit, suspended financial credit ratings.

Redlisting

Various cities established mechanisms to incentivize companies to provide pandemic relief, with measures including whitelisting (referred to in China as redlisting) for those donating funds and supplies with benefits like simplified administrative procedures, increased policy support, or increased financial support.

Other regulatory measures

Following a speech by Xi Jinping emphasizing areas of regulatory compliance, provinces and cities promulgated regulations emphasizing heavy penalties for price hikes, violence against doctors, counterfeit medical supplies, refusal to comply with pandemic prevention measures, and wildlife trade violations.

Discrimination

Main articles: Xenophobia and racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic and Racism in China § COVID-19 pandemic

Fear, regional discrimination in China, and racial discrimination within and beyond China increased with the growing number of reported cases of infections despite calls for stopping the discrimination by many governments. Some rumors circulated across Chinese social media, along with endorsements and counter-rumor efforts by media and governments. The Chinese government has worked to censor and counter reporting and criticism about the crisis – which included the prosecution of several citizen journalists – and portray the official response to the outbreak in a positive light. They have also provided humanitarian assistance to other countries dealing with the virus.

Misinformation and conspiracy theories

Main article: COVID-19 misinformation by China

According to London-based The Economist, on China's Internet, there were conspiracy theories about COVID-19 being the CIA's creation to keep China down.

Multiple conspiracy articles in Chinese from the SARS era resurfaced during the outbreak with altered details, claiming that SARS is biological warfare conducted by the US against China. Some of these articles claim that BGI Group from China sold genetic information of the Chinese people to the US, with the US then being able to deploy the virus specifically targeting the genome of Chinese individuals.

Statistics

Main article: Statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China

The confirmed case count in mainland China only includes symptomatic cases; asymptomatic infections are reported separately.

See also

• COVID-19 pandemic in China

External links

• Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases and historical data by Johns Hopkins University
• Reports on the COVID-19 pandemic in China, by the PRC National Health Commission
• Coronavirus China updates and news Archived 28 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine. China in Coronavirus Global international portal. Available in English, French, Spanish, Russian and more.

Hong Kong

On 8 January, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) added "Severe respiratory disease associated with a novel infectious agent" to their list of notifiable diseases to expand their authority on quarantine. The Hong Kong government also shortened hospital visits and made it a requirement for visitors to wear face masks. Screening was tightened at airports and train stations with connections to Wuhan. In the first week of 2020, 30 unwell travellers from Wuhan were tested. Most had other respiratory viruses.

Map of the outbreak in Hong Kong by district (as of 4 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 22 January, a mainland man, aged 39, who travelled from Shenzhen and arrived in Hong Kong by high-speed rail developed symptoms of pneumonia. He had been to Wuhan in the previous month. He tested positive and was hospitalised in Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong Island. A 56-year-old man from Ma On Shan, who had visited Wuhan, also tested positive.

The Hong Kong government designated the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village in Sai Kung as a quarantine centre. The Hong Kong Tourism Board cancelled the Lunar New Year Cup and a four-day Lunar New Year carnival, citing concerns over the virus outbreak. On 24 January, health authorities confirmed a fifth case.

On 25 January, the Hong Kong government declared the viral outbreak as an "emergency", the highest warning tier. The city's largest amusement parks, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Ocean Park Hong Kong, and Madame Tussauds Hong Kong closed from 26 January, until further notice.

On 28 January, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam stated the high-speed rail service between Hong Kong and mainland China would be suspended starting on 30 January, and all cross-border ferry services would also be suspended in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus. Additionally, flights from mainland China would be cut in half, cross-border bus services reduced, and the Hong Kong government is asking all its employees (except those providing essential/emergency services) to work from home. In a later press conference that day, Carrie Lam said that the Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok border checkpoints would be closed.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced that all facilities overseen by the department including all public museums, public libraries and sports centres and venues will be closed until further notice as a health precaution. On February 14, the LCSD announced that the closure of its facilities will extended until 2 March 2020.

On 4 February, the CHP reported Hong Kong's first death, that of a 39-year-old patient, the 13th case.

On 5 February, Hong Kong confirmed three more cases. Another three were confirmed on 6 February, with another two cases on 7 February.

On 9 February, Hong Kong confirmed three more cases with two from the same family, bringing the total number to 29. It was also announced on the same day that the passengers and crew of the World Dream cruise ship were allowed to leave after a check revealed that they were negative for the coronavirus and have no history of being in close contact with eight passengers who disembarked and were found to be positive for the virus.

As of 17 February, the CHP had identified 60 cases in Hong Kong with two patients since recovered.

India

Map of the outbreak in India
(as of 3 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

The Government of India issued a travel advisory to its citizens, particularly for Wuhan, where about 500 Indian medical students study. It directed seven major international airports to perform thermal screening of passengers arriving from China.

On 30 January, India confirmed its first case in a student who had returned from Wuhan University to Kerala. On 2 February, a second case was confirmed in Kerala; the individual traveled regularly between India and China. On 3 February, the third positive case was reported in Kerala. The patient had traveled from Wuhan. All three have since recovered from the infection.

International Conveyance

Main article: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in cruise ships

The 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak spread to several cruise ships including the Diamond Princess and the MS Westerdam, and was found to be absent from the World Dream.

Iran

File:2019-nCoV Outbreak Cases in Iran.png

Map of the outbreak in Iran
(as of 19 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 19 February, 2 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Qom. Later that day, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education stated that both had died.

On 20 February, 3 new cases were reported by the Ministry of Health. Two of them were from city of Qom and one from Arak

Japan

Main article: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Japan

The first case was confirmed in a 30-year-old Chinese national who had previously traveled to Wuhan developed a fever on 3 January and subsequently returned to Japan on 6 January.

Macau

Main article: zh:2019冠狀病毒病澳門疫情

Map of the outbreak in Macau
(as of 28 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

By 22 January, Macau had confirmed two cases, a 52-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man, both from Wuhan. On the morning of 26 January, the Macau Health Bureau confirmed three additional cases: a 58-year-old woman arriving from Hong Kong on 23 January after travelling to Wuhan, and both a 21-year-old woman and a 39-year-old woman arriving in Macau on 22 January via the Lotus Bridge; all of which were residents of Wuhan. The Macau government has since temporarily closed all schools and universities, and has imposed border controls with temperature checks. The government also declared the closing of several venues to limit the possible spread of the virus, including several entertainment venues and planned Lunar New Year performances.

On 27 January, a 15-year-old boy, the son of one of the previously confirmed patients, was declared the sixth case of the virus in Macau. On 28 January, the seventh case was announced, a 67-year-old woman and resident of Wuhan who travelled to Guangzhou before entering Macau through the Barrier Gate checkpoint.

Malaysia

Main article: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Malaysia

Eight Chinese nationals were quarantined at a hotel in Johor Bahru on 24 January after coming into contact with an infected person in neighbouring Singapore. Despite early reports of them testing negative for the virus, three of them were confirmed to be infected on 25 January.

On 16 February, the 15th infected patient involving a Chinese female national had fully recovered, becoming the 8th patient cured from the virus in Malaysia. The following day, the first infected Malaysian also reportedly recovered, becoming the 9th cured.

Nepal

Map of the outbreak in Nepal
(as of 26 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

A Nepali student who had returned from Wuhan became the first case of the country and South Asia on 24 January, after a sample sent to WHO Collaborating Centre Hong Kong. He was discharged after his condition improved and was told to quarantine himself at home.

Philippines

Main article: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in the Philippines

The first case in the Philippines was confirmed on 30 January. On 5 February, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed a third case.

Singapore

Main article: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Singapore

The first case in Singapore was confirmed on 23 January. Subsequently, the first locally transmitted cases were reported on 4 February. Yong Thai Hang, a shop that mainly serves Chinese tourists, was identified as the locus of the infection, where four women without recent history of travel to China contracted the virus.

As of 20 February, there were a total of 85 confirmed cases. On the same day, there were nine confirmed cases that had not been traced back to a Wuhan or local source of transmission.

South Korea

Map of the outbreaks in South Korea
(as of 20 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

Main article: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in South Korea

The first confirmed case of the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in South Korea was announced 20 January 2020. On 19 February, the number of confirmed cases increased by 20 and on 20 February by 53, giving a total of 104 confirmed cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Korea (KCDC), with the sudden jump mostly attributed to "Patient No. 31" who participated in a gathering at a Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony church in Daegu. As of 20 February 2020, the number of confirmed cases in South Korea was the third largest after China and the infections on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Sri Lanka

Map of the outbreak in Sri Lanka
(as of 27 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 27 January, the first confirmed case of the virus was reported in Sri Lanka, a 47-year-old Chinese woman from Hubei Province in China; she was admitted to the National Institute of Infection Diseases. She had arrived as a tourist with another group of travelers and had been screened at the Bandaranaike International Airport after having a high fever. She had fully recovered and was released from hospital on 19 February.

As of 19 February there were no other confirmed infected patients. Four patients were under observation in government hospitals, including one foreigner. 33 Sri Lankan students and families were evacuated from Wuhan and kept under Quarantine at a Military facility at Diyatalawa. They were released after two weeks quarantine period on 14 February.

Prior to 27 January, the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka had instructed the Quarantine Unit at Bandaranaike International Airport to screen passengers for symptoms. Additionally, the ministry warned that infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and people who suffer from chronic diseases among other issues should avoid visiting crowded places when possible. A 22-member National Action Committee has been set up by the ministry to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Sri Lanka. The Department of Immigration and Emigration also informed all construction sites with Chinese resident visa holders to restrict their Chinese employees to their respective workplaces and lodgings.

Following the first reported case of coronavirus in Sri Lanka on 27 January, demand for face masks in the country soared and the country began to face a face mask shortage. Some pharmacies in the country had sold all face masks and there were reports from customers that face masks were being sold at over ten to twenty times the original price. As a result, the country's drug regulatory agency will place price controls on face masks.

Taiwan

Main article: zh:2019冠狀病毒病臺灣疫情

Map of the outbreak in Taiwan
(as of 28 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 21 January, the first case in Taiwan was confirmed in a 50-year-old woman who just returned to Taoyuan International Airport from her teaching job in Wuhan. She reported on her own initiative and was hospitalised without formal domestic entry. As of 19 February, there are 24 confirmed cases, including one death. Among the confirmed cases is a Taiwanese man in his 50s who was fined NT$300,000 for failure to report his symptoms and attempting to conceal his subsequent activities, leading to a potential contamination incident at a ballroom in Kaohsiung. The first domestic case was diagnosed in Taiwan on 28 January. A Taiwanese national aboard the Diamond Princess tested positive on 6 February. As of 19 February, five Taiwanese nationals aboard the ship have tested positive. The first death in Taiwan was confirmed on 16 February involving a man in his 60s. A woman in Taiwan was reported to have tested positive for novel coronavirus on 19 February 2020, though she had not traveled outside of Taiwan for two years.

Thailand

Main article: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Thailand

On 13 January, Thailand had its first case, also the first outside China.

On 15 February, the 35th case was found on 35 years old Thai woman who worked in private hospital. This marked the first time infection on a health worker. An investigation found she did not wear a mask and protective suit while treating a patient.

United Arab Emirates

Map of the outbreak in the United Arab Emirates
(as of 10 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 23 January, Abu Dhabi International Airport and Dubai International Airport announced that travellers arriving directly from China would have their temperatures screened.

On 29 January, the first case in the UAE was confirmed to be a 73-year-old woman of a Chinese national who came to the country on holiday with her family from Wuhan. The family of four, mother, 41-year-old father, eight-year-old boy, and the 73-year-old grandmother arrived in the Emirates on 16 January and took the grandmother to a doctor with flu-like symptoms on 23 January, where it was discovered that the family was infected. The announcement led to a sell out of face masks across the UAE.

On 31 January, the fifth case of coronavirus in the UAE was confirmed, in someone who had travelled from Wuhan to Dubai. The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) directed all DHA-licensed hospitals to consider all suspected and confirmed cases as emergencies and patients are to be treated free of charge, including those without insurance.

On 8 February, the sixth and seventh cases, of Chinese and Filipino nationality, were confirmed.

On 9 February, the first patient was released after being cured.

On 10 February, the eighth case was confirmed to be an Indian expat who had interacted with a recently diagnosed person.

On 14 February, two more patients recovered and were discharged from the hospital. The two patients were the Chinese 41-year-old father and eight-year-old boy from the family of the first case.

Vietnam

Main article: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Vietnam

The first two confirmed cases were hospitalised on 22 January at Chợ Rẫy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City. These were a Chinese man (#1) travelling from Wuhan to Hanoi to visit his son living in Vietnam, and the son (#2), who is believed to have contracted the disease from his father.

On 13 February, the father of an earlier case was tested positive, making the number of cases in Vietnam 16.

Europe

Belgium

Map of the outbreak in Belgium
(as of 4 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

Belgian nationals living in Hubei have been repatriated on a series of evacuation flights arriving in Belgium on 1 February, where everyone repatriated will be quarantined and examined in a military hospital. Infected people will be transferred to a specialized hospital. Non-essential flights to China, Hong Kong excluded, have been highly discouraged, with some travel companies cancelling all flights to China. Chinese New Year celebrations were cancelled at the University of Leuven.

On 4 February, Belgium confirmed its first case. The patient, a 54-year-old male without symptoms, was one of nine Belgians repatriated from China. All nine of the Belgians were quarantined.

Finland

Map of the outbreak in Finland
(as of 29 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 28 January, a 32-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan sought medical attention in Ivalo. She was quarantined at Lapland Central Hospital in Rovaniemi. She had travelled from Wuhan. The woman recovered and was discharged on 5 February after testing negative on two consecutive days.

On 30 January, Finnish health officials estimated that up to 24 people had been exposed to the virus there. By 5 February, three of the potentially exposed individuals were known to have left the country, and fourteen of the remaining 21 had been placed in quarantine and were expected to be released over the following weekend.

On 27 January, Finland's foreign ministry advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Hubei province. The following day, the Finnish airline Finnair announced it was suspending five weekly routes to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March.

France

Map of the outbreak in France
(as of 8 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 24 January, the first confirmed case in Europe was reported in Bordeaux, with two more in Paris; all in people recently returned from China. In Paris, a 31-year-old man and his 30-year-old partner, both from Wuhan, were infected. They arrived in France on 18 January. The third patient hospitalized in Bordeaux is a 48-year-old Frenchman from China, who arrived on the territory on 22 January. Immediately taken in charge by the service d'aide médicale urgente, the patient was isolated in hospital, his condition is considered reassuring. The authorities are trying to determine whether he may have infected people around him.

On 28 January, the fourth case, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist, was confirmed in Paris.

On 29 January, his 50-year-old daughter was confirmed as the fifth case.

On 30 January, the sixth case, a doctor, was confirmed in Paris. He had listened to a Chinese tourist whose contamination was confirmed when she returned in China.

Five new cases were announced by Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn on 8 February. This group was in holidays in the city of Les Contamines-Montjoie in Haute-Savoie. They were infected by a British national who was few days before in Singapore.

The first death in Europe was in France on 15 February, when the 80 year-old Chinese tourist from the Hubei Province, registered as the fourth French case, died in Bichat–Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris. On the same day another British national was declared infected, he was in the same chalet of the five other cases in Contamines-Montjoie.

On February 18, the new Minister of Health Olivier Véran, announced that only four people remained infected in France and in quarantine care at the hospital, all British nationals, three from the first group of Contamines-Montjoie and a fourth case discovered later.

Case	Date	Age	Gender	Nationality	Hospital admitted to	Been to China	Status	Note	Source
1	24 January 2020	48	Male	French	Hôpital Pellegrin, Bordeaux	Yes	Discharged	First case in Europe. Wine merchant back from China. Out of hospital on February 13.
2		30	Male	Chinese	Hôpital Bichat, Paris	Yes	Discharged	Couple living in France back from China. Out of hospital on February 12.
3		31	Female		Hôpital Bichat, Paris		Discharged
4	28 January 2020	80	Male	Chinese	Hôpital Bichat, Paris	Yes	Dead	Chinese tourist. Was in a critical condition. Dead on February 14, first one in Europe.
5	29 January 2020	50	Female		Hôpital Bichat, Paris		Discharged	Chinese tourist. Daughter of the fourth infected. It is not clear if she had the virus in China or contracted it from her father. Out of hospital at the start of the third week in February.
6	30 January 2020	Unknown	Male	French	Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris	No	Discharged	Doctor infected with a patient, who later returned to Asia. Out of hospital on February 14.
7	8 February 2020	Adult	Male	British	Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, Lyon (2) or Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Saint-Étienne(1).	No	In Hospital	Contaminated by another British tourist who is back to UK and diagnosed as the fourth infected in this country.
8		Adult	Unknown				In Hospital
9		Adult	Unknown				In Hospital
10		Adult	Unknown		Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, Lyon		Discharged	Contaminated by another British tourist who is back to UK and diagnosed as the fourth infected in this country. Out of hospital at the start of the third week in February.
11		9	Male		Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Grenoble		Discharged	Contaminated by another British tourist who is back to UK and diagnosed as the fourth infected in this country. Out of hospital on February 16 or 17.
12	15 February 2020	Adult	Male		Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, Lyon	No	In Hospital	Person who stayed with other infected British citizens. He was diagnosed with the virus during the incubation period some days later he spent in quarantine.

Germany

Map of the outbreak in Germany
(as of 13 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 27 January, the Bavarian Ministry of Health announced that a man from Starnberg district in Bavaria had become infected with the disease. His was the first known case of a person contracting the virus outside of China from a non-relative (the first known transmission of the virus outside China being father to son in Vietnam).

On 28 January, three more novel coronavirus cases were confirmed. All four patients are employees of the same company; they are being medically monitored and quarantined at the München Hospital in Schwabing.

On 30 January, a man tested positive. He was working at the same company as the other four confirmed German cases.

On 31 January, the child of the man diagnosed on 30 January became Germany's sixth confirmed case. The child's sibling was confirmed positive on 3 February. The man's wife tested positive on 6 February. Also on 31 January, another employee of the same company became the seventh confirmed case.

On 1 February, around 90 German citizens left Wuhan on a flight arranged by the German government. Upon arrival they were quarantined in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate for 14 days. Also on 1 February, a man residing in Munich, who works for the same company as the other confirmed cases, tested positive, becoming Germany's eighth case. On 2 February, two of the arrivals from China tested positive and were moved from the quarantine location in Germersheim to an isolation unit at a hospital in Frankfurt. On 3 February, another employee was confirmed positive.

On 7 February, the wife of a previously diagnosed man tested positive.

On 11 February, another employee tested positive, as did a family member of a previously diagnosed employee.

Italy

Map of the outbreak in Italy
(as of 31 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

Enhanced screening measures, including thermal cameras and medical staff, have been set up at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport and Milan Malpensa Airport.

On 31 January, two cases were confirmed in Rome as Chinese tourists who arrived in Milan on 23 January. They arrived via Milan Malpensa Airport and travelled to Rome on a tourism bus.

On 6 February, one of the Italians repatriated from Wuhan was confirmed to be infected, bringing the total in the country to 3.

Russia

Map of the outbreak in Russia
(as of 31 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

The Russian consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor advised tourists to refrain from visiting Wuhan and to stay away from Chinese zoos and markets selling animals and seafood. The agency also said that development of a vaccine against the virus was underway, relying on the WHO's recommendations. The Russian city of Blagoveshchensk, near the Chinese border, limited access to the country. Cultural exchange and official visits to China were cancelled. The Governors of the Amur Region Vasily Orlov, and of the Penza Oblast Ivan Belozertsev, called on residents to abandon trips to China altogether. Residents of large cities have been told to avoid contact with tourists from China.

On 31 January, two cases were confirmed, one in Tyumen Oblast, another in Zabaykalsky Krai. Both were Chinese nationals.

On 13 February, police arrested a woman who breached quarantine protocols after being airlifted out of China and testing negative for the virus.

Spain

Map of the outbreak in Spain
(as of 9 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 31 January, the first case in Spain, a German patient, was confirmed on the Canary Island of La Gomera. On 9 February, the second case was found to be a British man in Palma de Mallorca.

Sweden

Map of the outbreak in Sweden
(as of 31 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

On 31 January, a patient at Ryhov County Hospital in Jönköping tested positive. She is since February 5 being kept in isolation at the clinic for infectious diseases and is, since February 5th 2020, not seriously ill.

United Kingdom

Map of the outbreak in the United Kingdom
(as of 12 February):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

Heathrow Airport has tightened surveillance of the three direct flights that it receives from Wuhan every week; each will be met by a Port Health team. In addition, all airports in the UK have written guidance (in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese) available for unwell travellers. The British government have been tracing up to 2,000 people who came in on flights from Wuhan. There was contention over whether the government should assist the repatriation of UK passport holders from the greatest affected areas, or restrict travel from affected regions altogether. An evacuation flight from Wuhan landed at RAF Brize Norton on 31 January and the passengers, none of whom are showing symptoms, are being taken to quarantine, in a staff residential block at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral. Some British nationals in Wuhan had been informed that they could be evacuated but their spouses and/or children with mainland Chinese passports could not. This was later overturned, but the delay meant that some people missed the flight.

On 31 January two cases were confirmed in England, both members of a family of Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York who were taken to specialist facilities in Newcastle upon Tyne. On 6 February, a third case, a man who had recently travelled to Singapore, was reported in Brighton. He had infected six of his relatives during a stay in Haute-Savoie; they are hospitalized in France. Four further cases were confirmed on 10 February, being epidemiologically linked to that reported on 6 February. As of 11 February 2020, two of the confirmed cases in the UK were reported in BBC News to be general practitioners. On 12 February, a ninth case was confirmed in London.

On 14 February the UK government published the following guidance:

Any contacts of a possible case need to be isolated or quarantined. In practice for passengers who have travelled via airplane, this will include all passengers in the 2 rows in front and behind of where the possible case was sat.

Oceania

Australia

Map of the outbreak in Australia:

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

File:2020-01-31 Warning outside medical centre in Sydney due to outbreak of coronavirus.jpg

Warning on 31 January 2020 outside a medical centre in Sydney due to outbreak of coronavirus.

Biosecurity officials began screening arrivals on the three weekly flights to Sydney from Wuhan starting on 23 January. Passengers will also be given an information pamphlet and asked to present themselves if they have a fever or suspect they might have the disease.

On 25 January, the first confirmed case was announced, a Chinese national in his 50s who had travelled from Guangzhou to Melbourne via China Southern Airlines flight CZ321 on 19 January. He is receiving treatment at Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne.

On 25 January, it was announced that three patients had tested positive in New South Wales. The same day, six people in New South Wales were being held under observation and confirmed to undergo hospital testing after having recently returned from Wuhan.

On 27 January, a fifth case was announced, the fourth in the state of New South Wales. The patient is currently undergoing treatment at Westmead Hospital in Sydney.

On 29 January, a 60-year-old Victorian resident was confirmed as the sixth patient in Australia, and the second in Victoria.

On 29 January, a patient tested positive as the first case in Queensland and the seventh in the country, a 44-year-old Chinese national from Wuhan who was isolated at the Gold Coast Hospital.

On 30 January, a Chinese national in Victoria was confirmed as the eighth case in the country. A ninth was confirmed later in the day in Queensland, the second case in the state.

On 1 February, the eleventh case of the virus was announced in Victoria.

On 2 February, two more cases were confirmed in South Australia, a 60-year-old male and a 60-year-old female travelling from Wuhan to visit family.

As of 16 February, the country had 15 confirmed cases. 8 of the earlier cases have recovered.

Suspected cases

Americas

Brazil

On 28 January the emergency alert was raised to level 2 of 3, considering an "imminent danger" to Brazil.

On 5 February, the Brazilian government sent two planes to rescue 34 of the 58 Brazilians who are in Wuhan. They and the flight crew are being quarantined for 18 days at a Brazilian Air Force base in Anápolis, state of Goiás.

As of 19 February, there were 2 suspected cases in Brazil, with 48 cases declared negative.

Asia

Indonesia

A total of 135 airport gates and port docks have been installed with thermal scanners by the Ministry of Health. They have also provided 100 hospitals with isolation rooms. Indonesia will not send any representatives to 2020 Lingshui China Masters.

Indonesia banned all flights from and to Mainland China starting from 5 February. The government also stopped giving free visa and visa on arrival for Chinese nationals. They banned those who live or stay in Mainland China for at least 14 days before from entering or transiting Indonesia. Indonesians are discouraged from travelling to China.

As of 13 February, there were two suspected cases in Indonesia, with 68 previously tested negative.

Five researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross think it is possible, statistically, that the virus has entered Indonesia already, given the travel history from Mainland China and the other infected countries.

On 18 February, it was confirmed that three of seventy-eight Indonesians on board Diamond Princess are infected with the virus. A day after, another Indonesian was confirmed to be infected, bringing the number to four.

Mongolia

The Ministry of Health of Mongolia quarantined all colleges, schools and kindergartens until 2 March. Chinggis Khaan International Airport and borders with China has tightened security, and doing medical checkups on passengers who came from China and other infected countries.

As of 18 February, there were at least 6 suspected cases; Mongolia isolates suspected cases as well as those who had contact with them.

North Korea

Map of the outbreak in North Korea
(as of 31 January):

  Confirmed cases reported

  Suspected cases reported

From 22 January, North Korea banned foreign tourists.

On 23 January, suspected cases in Sinuiju were quarantined.

On 30 January, North Korea's news agency KCNA declared a "state emergency" and reported the establishment of anti-epidemic headquarters around the country.

On 2 February, KCNA reported that all people who entered the country after 13 January have been placed under "medical supervision."

On 7 February, five North Koreans in Sinuiju of North Pyongan Province have died, according to sources gathered by South Korea. Within the same day, a North Korean female living in the Pyongyang capital is also reportedly infected. Despite no confirmation by North Korean authorities on the claims, the country has implemented stricter measures to combat the spread of the virus.

Although South Korean media shared news hinting at the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic to North Korea, the WHO denies the veracity of such claims. On 18 February, Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Worker's Party of Korea, quoted a public health official reiterating the country had “no confirmed case of the new coronavirus so far”. The WHO prioritizes aid for North Korea, including the shipment of protective equipment and supplies.

Europe

Poland

Warsaw Chopin Airport has made special surveys for passengers arriving from China.

As of 19 February, 12 people were hospitalized "in connection with the coronavirus".

Romania

Several hospitals in the country will house patients if they have the virus, two of them are in Bucharest and other hospitals in other cities, including Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara and Constanța. Thermal scanners will be placed in airports in the country. People will be given flyers and questionnaires to be informed about the 2019-nCoV. The possibility of the virus arriving in the territory remains low, specialists believe. Special access lines for passengers coming from China and Chinese passengers were made on the international airports.

As of 10 February, there were two suspected cases.

Prevention in other countries

Americas

Ecuador

On 31 January it was announced that the country possess reactives for testing new cases locally, becoming the first in South America.

Jamaica

The government announced a travel ban between ban China and Jamaica. All persons entering Jamaica from China will be subject to immediate quarantine for at least 14 days, and anyone who was allowed to land and shows symptoms of the virus will be put in immediate isolation. In keeping with the new policy, 19 Chinese nationals who arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport on the evening of 31 January were denied entry, quarantined and put on a flight back to China on 1 February.

Panama

The Panamanian government has enhanced its sanitary control and screening measures at all ports of entry, in order to prevent the spread of the virus, isolating and testing potential cases.

Trinidad and Tobago

Health Min­is­ter Ter­rance Deyals­ingh, announced that Trinidad and Tobago had decided to implement restrictions on persons travelling from China. Persons who are living or who have visited China, will be barred from entering Trinidad & Tobago unless they had already been out of China 14 days prior to attempting to travel to Trinidad & Tobago.

Venezuela

The Ministry of Popular Power for Health announced on 29 January that the Rafael Rangel National Institute of Hygiene (Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Higiene Rafael Rangel) in Caracas will perform the detection of other respiratory viruses based on non-influenza types, including coronaviruses in humans. It is also the only health institute in the country with installed capacity for the diagnosis of respiratory viruses in Venezuela and is able carry out logistics in the 23 states, the Capital District and Federal Dependencies.

On 3 February, the government announced that the country has imposed epidemiological surveillance, restrictions and diagnostic system to detect possible coronavirus patients at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Venezuela's main international airport, and that Venezuela will receive a diagnostic kit for the virus strain from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Asia

Armenia

Liana Torosyan, the head of the Department of Infectious Diseases, advised that samples will be sent to European labs as Armenia does not have the capacity to test for novel coronavirus.

The Ministry of Health of Armenia stated that passengers arriving will be screened for fever. Entry restrictions were not deemed necessary. After discussions, the State Service for Food Safety of Armenia imposed a ban on all Chinese animal products.

Bangladesh

Enhanced screening measures have been set up at all international airports in Bangladesh. The Ministry of Health of Bangaladesh is monitoring all airports, land ports and maritime ports. 312 Bangladeshis returned from Wuhan in a special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on 1 February 2020 and they were quarantined for 14 days at Ashkona Hajj Camp near Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. Two more China returnees were quarantined in Dhaka and Rangpur due to illness, although they did not show any coronavirus symptom. Government of Bangladesh has installed isolation units in several large state-run hospitals in Dhaka, but healthcare system remains inadequately prepared to cope with the potential outbreak.

Bhutan

The Ministry of Health of Bhutan has strengthened screening at the country's points of entry as a response to the outbreak. Infrared fever scanning and respiratory health surveillance was introduced at Paro International Airport on 15 January. All medical facilities in the country has been told to increase their vigilance for possible cases and to coordinate with the Royal Centre for Disease Control.

Brunei

The government of Brunei has banning the entry of travellers from China's Hubei province with all travellers returning from China have been ordered to undergo self-isolation for 14 days. The country Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health also sets up four temporary shelters as quarantine zones to prepared for any incurring positive coronavirus cases.

Georgia

All the flights from China and Wuhan to Tbilisi International Airport were cancelled until 27 January. The Health Ministry has announced that all arriving passengers from China will be screened.

Iraq

The Basra International Airport has declared that passengers of any nationality travelling from China to Iraq will be denied entry.

Kazakhstan

On 24 January, Almaty Airport staff and Almaty medical brigades had a medical exercise. The situation where a plane arrives from China with an infected passenger was simulated. Also, disinformation was spreading through messengers about infected people in Almaty. It was disproved by the Minister of Healthcare.

As of 25 January, 98 Kazakhstani students were in Wuhan, but none were known to be infected.

As of 28 January, more than 1300 Kazakhstani citizens are in China, more than 600 of them are tourists, mostly visiting Hainan. The government of Kazakhstan is ready to evacuate the 98 Kazakhstani students in Wuhan. Also, Kazakhstan plans to temporarily stop trains between Ürümqi and Kazakhstani cities.

Myanmar

On 2 February, 59 out of 63 Myanmar students studying in Wuhan arrived in Mandalay by air.

Pakistan

The Government of Pakistan began screening of passengers at airports in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar to prevent entry of coronavirus in the country. Pakistan International Airlines also announced to pre-screen passengers before they board the plane on its flights at the Beijing Capital International Airport. On 27 January, The Government of Gilgit Baltistan decided to delay opening the China-Pakistan border crossing point at Khunjerab Pass, scheduled for February.

Europe

Andorra

The Government of Andorra has developed an action protocol, which has been distributed to all health professionals in the principality. Likewise, calls those who plan to travel to China or have travelled there to notify the authorities.

Iceland

Passengers at the Keflavík International Airport are being notified that both passengers with signs of respiratory infection and asymptomatic individuals who had been either in Wuhan for the past 14 days or have been in contact with individuals with suspected or confirmed 2019-nCov infection that they must be medically assessed at the airport for possible further measures including being placed under quarantine. The Directorate of Health has decided against screening all incoming passengers for temperature due to high cost and was found to be ineffective in dealing with outbreaks.

Latvia

Starting from 28 January, Riga International Airport started investigating travellers from Wuhan.

Lithuania

From 25 January, National Public Health Center specialists are consulting travellers from and to China at all three airports in Lithuania. According to public health officials, Vilnius Airport had a medical exercise in December and is ready to handle infected passengers and contain the spread of the virus.

Malta

Maltese local authorities have taken preventive measures, and advised the public and health workers to uphold sanitary regulation to not spread illnesses. On 24 January, the Superintendent of Public Health has cautioned for adequate measures but saw no risk of arriving and spreading within the country then.

Netherlands

Airlines and the main international airport Schiphol are, as of 22 January, not taking extra measures yet against the spread of the virus, stating the lack of direct flights from or to Wuhan.

Serbia

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport introduced new measures, including thermal cameras.

Oceania

Fiji

The Government of Fiji toughens on border security amidst the outbreak. The Fijian borders will be closed to foreign nationals who have been in mainland China within 14 days of their intended travel to Fiji. Measures to maintain a hygienic environment and screening ill passengers will continue to be taken in-flight to further minimise any risk.

Marshall Islands

On 24 January, the Republic of the Marshall Islands issued a travel advisory that requires any visitors to the country to have spent at least 14 days in a country free of the virus.

New Zealand

After initially having public health staff meet flights from China to look for signs of the virus among arriving passengers, the New Zealand government announced on 3 February that travellers from China would be denied entry to New Zealand, with only New Zealand citizens and residents and their family excepted.

On 28 January, the Ministry of Health stood up the National Health Coordination Centre (NHCC) in response to the outbreak. An Infectious and Notifiable Diseases Order was issued to take effect from 30 January, which requires health practitioners to report any suspected cases of the virus to the Ministry under the Health Act 1956.

Palau

Palau's President Thomas Remengesau Jr. issued an executive order suspending all charter flights from China, Macau and Hong Kong from 1–29 February.

Papua New Guinea

The Government of Papua New Guinea has banned all travellers from "Asian countries" and closed its border with Indonesia. The order took effect from 30 January.

Samoa

Border measures have been implemented by the Government of Samoa in response to the outbreak. Before entering the country, people must have spent at least 14 days in a country free of the virus, as well as complete a medical clearance. Two Samoan nationals who had briefly stopped in China had been placed into quarantine on 28 January for two weeks at the Faleolo District Hospital.

External links

• Severe Respiratory Disease associated with a Novel Infectious Agent by Hong Kong's Centre for Health, includes situation reports.
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's page on 2019-nCov, includes situation reports of the outbreak in Japan. Template:In lang
• Updates on Wuhan Coronavirus (2019-nCov) by the Department of Health, situation tracker of the outbreak in the Philippines, updated daily.
• Worldwide Coronavirus Map, confirmed Cases - Map the route paths of coronavirus confirmed cases.

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