Wuhan reports 1st cluster of coronavirus cases since lockdown ended

People wait at a bus station in Wuhan on May 11, 2020
(Image credit: STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic began, has reported its first cluster of COVID-19 cases since ending its lockdown last month.

On Monday, Wuhan reported five new COVID-19 cases after on Sunday reporting its first confirmed case since early April, BBC News reports. The cases are from the same residential compound, officials said, and one of the cases confirmed on Monday was the wife of the man whose case was confirmed the day before. The cases, BBC notes, were previously asymptomatic, which China doesn't count as part of its official count even though the coronavirus can be spread by people without symptoms.

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After 76 days, Wuhan in early April lifted its lockdown that was imposed in January, allowing travel out of or into the city for those who are healthy and have been designated as such with a green QR code on their phones. CNN notes that although the new cases in China are "a far cry from the figures at the beginning of the crisis ... the apparent ability of the virus to continue spreading undetected — especially in a city as intensely surveilled and restricted as Wuhan — will lead to concerns about the viability of reopening."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.