Premier Li stresses prevention for asymptomatic coronavirus carriers
Updated 22:54, 30-Mar-2020
CGTN

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang stressed prevention for those asymptomatic coronavirus carriers at a meeting on Thursday, as China has gradually resumed business operations at a time when the epidemic is under control.

The pressing job now is to monitor those asymptomatic patients while giving them treatment from a place that keeps them apart from those who are not infected, officials said at the meeting. 

"[Asymptomatic patients] are very infectious because they have a very high virus load in their upper airway," Zhong Nanshan, China's leading expert on combating the deadly virus, said in an interview with CGTN.

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According to a statement released after the meeting, close contacts of those that experience no symptoms will also be monitored separately. 

Prevention efforts need to be bettered by combining emergency actions with everyday routines, as officials pointed out at the meeting.

Authorities also urged transparency in COVID-19 information. "All local governments must not hide COVID-19 cases just to pursue 'zero infection' in their report," read a statement released after the meeting.

Prevention measures enforced at the border control sites will also be strengthened, with requirements of giving nucleic acid testing to all of those entering China, the statement added.

As of Monday, 98.6 percent of the major industrial companies in China have resumed operations after roughly a two-month break out of coronavirus epidemic.