COVID-19: China continues to witness rise in cases; officials punished for negligence

China continues to witness a rise in COVID-19 cases amid the current Coronavirus outbreak. The Chinese government is implementing some harsh steps to combat the situation. The current outbreak, which first emerged in the eastern city of Nanjing, has been spreading to other parts of the country. The authorities have also started to punish the officials who have been failing to control the spread of virus. 

Employees held accountable in China

The Chinese authorities on August 8 had announced that the people from medium or high-risk districts who were planning to travel to Beijing have been prohibited from purchasing air and rail tickets, reported Global Times. In order to curb the spread of the virus, the government has been conducting mass testing, imposing lockdown and travel restrictions. The government had imposed similar restrictions in the country when the COVID-19 was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. According to a US based news agency, the Chinese authorities have punished at least 47 officials for negligence. As per the report, the officials include heads of local government, employees of hospitals, airports, health commissions. 

As many as 15 officials have been held accountable for allowing infections to spread at the Nanjing Lukou International Airport, according to a statement from the Communist Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). Reportedly, the recent Coronavirus outbreak originated from Nanjing, China, during an international flight from Moscow. In Zhangjiajie, 18 officials were held accountable for their "poor performance of their duties" in controlling the spread of COVID-19, according to statement from the CCDI.

COVID-19 situation in China

According to China's National Health Commission, as on August 10, the Chinese mainland reported 143 new cases of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The overall tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 93,969. Of them, 87,631 patients had been cured and discharged from the hospital. The total number of fatalities reported due to Coronavirus is 4,636. 27,868 confirmed infections have been reported in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan province. The overall tally of confirmed cases in Hong Kong is 12,015. 63 COVID-19 cases have been in Macao, and 15,790 cases have been reported in Taiwan. 

IMAGE: AP