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Wuhan Plans to Test All 11 Million Citizens as New Coronavirus Cluster Emerges

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  • Wuhan officials have announced that the city now plans to test all of its residents for the coronavirus over a 10-day period.
  • The announcement comes after the city confirmed six new cases over the weekend, all of which have been traced back to an 89-year-old man. 
  • Even with the drastic measures, health officials are trying to reassure people by explaining that a small cluster of new cases does not necessarily mean a larger, second wave of the virus.
  • Another city in northeastern China, Shulan, reported more than a dozen cases over the weekend and has now re-entered lockdown, declaring itself in “wartime mode.”

Wuhan to Test All 11 Million Residents

After a small but concerning spike in COVID-19 cases, Wuhan officials have announced that they intend to test all of the city’s 11 million residents by the end of next week.

The announcement, made Monday, comes after Wuhan confirmed six new cases over the weekend. While such a number may seem small compared to what the United States is currently experiencing, for many, it’s a worrying sign of a potential second wave of cases.

That’s because, before these new cases, Wuhan went 35 days without seeing any new infections. On April 8, the city even reopened, ending a 76-day lockdown.

According to a notice ordering these tests, “Each district should make plans and arrangements to conduct nucleic acid tests on the entire population in its jurisdiction within a 10-day time limit.” 

Because of that, each district will also pay for testing all of its residents. 

The notice also went on to say that the first round of testing will focus on vulnerable groups such as the elderly or those who are immunocompromised. It will also reportedly focus on densely populated communities such as those with concentrated migrant populations. 

According to the Chinese financial news agency Yicai, more than one million people in the city have already been tested.

The Cluster of Cases Leading to this Testing

On Sunday, local health authorities reported that five people in a single residential compound— the Sanmin compound in the East West Lake district of Wuhan—had been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

All of those cases were then linked back to an 89-year-old man who was confirmed to have the coronavirus the day before.

Notably, this compound houses about 5,000 people. During the lockdown, 20 people there tested positive for the coronavirus. According to reports, that man was never tested, but it seems that he may have also contracted the virus during the lockdown.

That’s because on March 17th, he reportedly developed a fever, but he later recovered at home within ten days. Last month, however, his health issues resurfaced. He then seemingly spread the virus to his wife and two other elderly couples. 

As to why his symptoms seemingly came back out of nowhere, Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention told China Central Television, “…the course of disease could last 30 to 50 days for some patients. The virus could take longer to manifest itself in patients with weak immunity, who are also prone to ‘ons’ and ‘offs’ of symptoms.”

Wu also stressed that this small cluster of cases shouldn’t be considered the start of a second wave in Wuhan.

“There will not be a new minor peak,” he said. “We have had the epidemic under control after more than three months of efforts and accumulated considerable experience in both diagnosis and [epidemic] notification. Therefore, we will not allow scattered cases to develop into massive outbreaks.”

When asked if he believed it truly necessary to test everyone in Wuhan, Wu said that tests could be targeted to areas with known infections but that there’s no need to do it in residential areas without any cases.

Another Chinese City Re-enters Lockdown

On Tuesday, the National Health Commission reported only two new confirmed cases for Monday, both of them imported and neither in Wuhan. One is located in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region while the other is in the Shanghai municipality.

That doesn’t mean Wuhan is the only city in China seeing smaller clusters of cases. Over the weekend, the northeastern city of Shulan reported 14 new cases and has now declared that it’s in “wartime mode.”

Like the cases in Wuhan, they’ve all been traced back to a single person. This time it was a 45-year-old woman who was diagnosed with the coronavirus on Thursday, though it’s unknown how she actually contracted the virus.

Because of that, the city has now gone back into lockdown until the end of the month. 

See what others are saying: (Business Insider) (NPR) (The Washington Post)

International

95-Year-Old Woman Dies After Police Tases Her in Nursing Home

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The officer involved was suspended with pay and charged with assault.


A 95-year-old Australian woman whom police tasered in a nursing home last week has reportedly died from her injuries.

Clare Nowland, who had dementia and required a walking frame to stand up and move, was living at the Yallambee Lodge in Cooma in southeastern Australia.

At about 4:15 a.m. on May 17, police and paramedics responded to a report of a woman standing outside her room with a steak knife.

They encountered Nowland, then reportedly tried to negotiate with her for several minutes, but she didn’t drop the knife.

The five-foot-two, 95-pound woman walked toward the two officers “at a slow pace,” police said at a news conference, so one of them tasered her.

She fell to the floor and reportedly suffered a fractured skull and a severe brain bleed, causing her to be hospitalized in critical condition.

Nowland passed away in a hospital surrounded by her family, the New South Wales police confirmed in a statement today.

After a week-long investigation, the police force also said that the senior constable involved would appear in court next week to face charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault.

NSW police procedure states that tasers should not be used against elderly or disabled people absent exceptional circumstances.

Following the incident, community members, activists, and disability rights advocates expressed bewilderment and anger at what they called an unnecessary use of force, and some are now questioning why law enforcement took so long to prosecute the officer involved.

See what others are saying: (Reuters) (The New York Times) (CNN)

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International

U.K. Police Face Backlash After Arresting Anti-Monarchy Protesters

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that some of the arrests “raise questions” and “investigations are ongoing.”


The Public Order Act

A controversial protest crackdown law in the U.K. is facing criticism after dozens of anti-monarchy protesters were arrested during the coronation ceremony in London over the weekend.

The law, dubbed the “Public Order Act” was passed roughly a week ahead of the coronation for King Charles III. It gives police more power to restrict protesters and limits the tactics protesters can use in public spaces. It was condemned by human rights groups upon its passing, and is facing a new round of heat after 52 people were arrested over coronation protests on Saturday.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said protesters were arrested for public order offenses, breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. The group said it gave advance warning that its “tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low and that we would deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining the celebration.”

It is currently unclear how many of those arrested were detained specifically for violating the Public Order Act, however, some of those arrested believe the new law was used against them.

“Make no mistake. There is no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK,” Graham Smith, the CEO of anti-monarchy group Republic tweeted after getting arrested. “I have been told many times the monarch is there to defend our freedoms. Now our freedoms are under attack in his name.”

An Attempt to “Diminish” Protests

During a BBC Radio interview, Smith also said he believes the dozens of arrests were premeditated. 

“There was nothing that we did do that could possibly justify even being detained and arrested and held,” Smith claimed. 

“The whole thing was a deliberate attempt to disrupt and diminish our protest.”

Yasmine Ahmed, the U.K. Director of Human Rights Watch, also tweeted that the arrests were “disgraceful.”

“These are scenes you’d expect to see in Russia not the UK,” she wrote. 

When asked about the controversy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters officers should  do “what they think is best” in an apparent show of support for the Metropolitan Police. 

For his part, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is looking into the matter.

“Some of the arrests made by police as part of the Coronation event raise questions and whilst investigations are ongoing, I’ve sought urgent clarity from Met leaders on the action taken,” Khan tweeted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (CNN) (The Washington Post)

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International

Foreign Nationals Make Mad Dash out of Sudan as Conflict Rages

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The conflict’s death toll has surpassed 420, with nearly 4,000 people wounded.


As the 10-day-long power struggle between rival generals tore Sudan apart, foreign governments with citizens in the country scrambled to evacuate them over the weekend.

On Sunday, U.S. special forces landed in the capital Khartoum and carried out nearly 100 American diplomats along with their families and some foreign nationals on helicopters.

An estimated 16,000 Americans, however, remain in the country and U.S. officials said in a statement that a broader evacuation mission would be too dangerous.

Christopher Maier, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity warfare, said in a statement that the Pentagon may assist U.S. citizens find safe routes out of Sudan.

“[The Defense Department] is at present considering actions that may include use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to be able to observe routes and detect threats,” he said.

Germany and France also reportedly pulled around 700 people out of the country.

More countries followed with similar efforts, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Indonesia.

Yesterday, a convoy carrying some 700 United Nations, NGO, and embassy staff drove to Port Sudan, a popular extraction point now that the airport in Khartoum has closed due to fighting.

Reports of gunmen prowling the capital streets and robbing people trying to escape, as well as looters breaking into abandoned homes and shops, have persuaded most residents to stay indoors.

Heavy gunfire, airstrikes, and artillery shelling have terrorized the city despite several proposed ceasefires.

Over the weekend, the reported death toll topped 420, with nearly 4,000 people injured, though both numbers are likely to be undercounted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)

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