Chinese authorities are lifting a lockdown in most of its virus-hit Hubei province. People who are cleared will be able to leave the province after midnight Tuesday.
Officials have now largely turned their attention to the threat of the virus returning from abroad, with almost all new cases being recorded among passengers traveling in from overseas. China’s National Health Commission on Tuesday reported 78 new coronavirus cases, among which 74 were imported.
At the same time, the government is pushing efforts to kick-start the world’s second-largest economy and put money in the pockets of workers who have gone weeks without salaries.
The city of Wuhan, where the outbreak started in late December, will remain locked down until April 8. China barred people from leaving or entering Wuhan starting Jan. 23 and expanded it to most of the province in succeeding days.
The government says work has restarted on about 90% of major public construction projects across the country, excluding Hubei. While many migrant workers remain trapped by travel bans, industrial production has also restarted, including in the crucial auto manufacturing industry, which is largely based in Wuhan, and in businesses that provide critical links in global supply chains.