The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Friday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
6:17 a.m. China’s capital Beijing will loosen mobility curbs in several districts from Sunday after authorities said its outbreak is under control, while total case numbers in the financial hub of Shanghai continued to decline.
Most public transportation services including buses, subways and taxis will resume in three districts including Chaoyang, according to Xu Hejian, a spokesman for the Beijing city government. Shopping centres outside of controlled areas in the city will also be allowed to reopen with capacity limits on the number of people. Chaoyang is home to Beijing’s central business district, most foreign embassies and expatriates.
The number of new infections has fallen for six straight days in Beijing with no cases outside of quarantine reported on Friday, Xu said. “This round of outbreak has been effectively controlled,” he said at a briefing Saturday.
Community spread is a key metric used by government officials to determine the severity of an outbreak and whether to ease restrictions. Other cities like Shanghai also began unravelling lockdown measures after reporting consecutive days of zero cases in the community.
Workers in some Beijing districts who were required to work from home previously will be allowed to return to their workplaces, and hotels and hostels in five districts on the city’s outskirts will be permitted to reopen, Xu added.
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