China reports zero new cases in coronavirus epicenter Hubei

BEIJING —  China has reported no new cases of coronavirus in Hubei, the original epicenter of the outbreak, and zero locally transmitted cases across mainland China over the last day, for the first time in the last eight weeks.

The National Health Commission, however, counted 34 new cases of “imported” infections among travelers who came from abroad, according to data released Thursday.

Tracking the coronavirus in California

The latest maps and charts on the spread of COVID-19 in California.

There were also eight new deaths from the disease, all of which were registered in Hubei province.

Beijing has enacted a series of measures to prevent a second wave of COVID-19 infections, including mandatory quarantine for all international arrivals to the capital and the redirection of some inbound flights.

On Wednesday, Chinese airlines were ordered to start diverting international flights due to arrive in Beijing to other airports including Tianjin, Taiyuan and Hohhot. The measures do not currently apply to international airlines.

China has counted 189 “imported” infections so far, meaning they were discovered in people who had traveled abroad, as opposed to locally transmitted infections.

Restrictions remain in place across the capital, where neighborhoods are still under lockdown.

Meanwhile, businesses and factories across the country are gradually reopening. Schools remain closed, with educators encouraged to hold classes online.

So far, 80,928 people have fallen ill with the COVID-19 in China and 3,245 have died, while 70,420 have recovered to date, according to the commission.

The virus started to spread in December in the industrial hub of Wuhan in central China. It has since infected more than 200,000 people and caused more than 8,000 casualties worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.