By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ANKARA (AA) – Locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 are spreading in China, prompting stricter measures ahead of the Lunar New Year next month.
The National Health Commission said in a statement on Tuesday that over 106 of 118 new cases, up from 109 a day earlier, were local infections.
Of the total, 43 cases were confirmed in northeastern Jilin province, 35 in northern Hebei province and 27 in Heilongjiang. Beijing, the capital, registered one case.
Local authorities have imposed lockdowns in many towns and cities, calling on citizens not to travel.
The country where coronavirus was first reported in December 2019 has seen 88,454 cases and 4,635 related deaths to date.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security announced that China lost 315 regular and 165 auxiliary police officers in the fight against COVID-19 in 2020.
The novel disease has infected more than 95.05 million people and killed over 2.03 million in 191 countries and regions, according to Johns Hopkins University.
