China: slight increase in COVID cases in some places

Chinese health officials on Wednesday said some places in the country had recently recorded "slight increases" in COVID-19 cases. An inspector with the National Health Commission Department of Disease Control Inspector, told a news conference in Beijing that "there have been sporadic outbreaks locally."

He attributed the rise in cases to "the passage of time and the decline of the immune protection level of some people" after strict anti-virus controls were dropped in China in December. However, the Inspector added that "the pandemic situation generally stays at a low level."

The news conference was held ahead of the Labor Day holiday, known as "golden week." Also on Wednesday, officials announced that travellers entering China will no longer need to provide a negative PCR test result starting on Saturday.