China Records No New Domestically Transmitted Covid-19 Cases for the First Time in Two Months

What’s new: China recorded no new locally transmitted Covid-19 infections on Monday for the first time in nearly two months, as the outbreaks in the country’s North and Northeast fizzled out just before the Lunar New Year Holiday.

Every one of the 14 new cases detected Sunday occurred in people returning from overseas, the National Health Commission (NHC) said, marking the first such announcement since Dec. 16 (links in Chinese).

The background: Since December, China has taken dramatic measures to contain a series of Covid-19 flare-ups concentrated in the provinces of Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, including citywide lockdowns and new curbs on travel during the weeklong national holiday, which begins Thursday.

As of Monday, the Chinese mainland had recorded 89,706 Covid-19 infections and 4,636 deaths, according to the NHC.

Contact reporter Matthew Walsh (matthewwalsh@caixin.com) and editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)

Support quality journalism in China. Subscribe to Caixin Global starting at $0.99.