China records biggest daily jump in cases; Japan expands emergency
BEIJING : China saw the biggest daily jump in Covid-19 cases in more than five months despite four cities in lockdown, increased testing and other measures aimed at preventing another wave of infections.
Most cases were reported near the capital Beijing, but a province in north-east China also saw a rise in new cases, official data showed yesterday, amid a resurgence that has seen more than 28 million people under home quarantine.
The National Health Commission said in a statement that a total of 115 new confirmed cases were reported in the mainland compared with 55 a day earlier.
This was the highest daily increase since July 30.
The commission said 107 of the new cases were local infections.
Hebei, the province that surrounds Beijing, accounted for 90 of the cases, while north-eastern Heilongjiang province reported 16 new cases.
ORIGINS
The spike in new cases comes as a World Health Organisation team of investigators probing the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic are set to arrive in Wuhan, where the disease first emerged in late 2019, today.
Meanwhile, Japan expanded a state of emergency declared for the Tokyo area last week to seven more prefectures yesterday amid a steady rise in cases.
The move comes after the governors of Osaka, Kyoto and other prefectures requested the emergency, which gives local authorities the legal basis to place restrictions on residents' movements and businesses.
Cases topped 300,000 yesterday, while the death toll reached 4,187. - REUTERS
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