Covid-19 fight in China's Hebei enters 'wartime mode' as province sees first local cases in six months

The fight to contain the coronavirus in northern China's Hebei has entered 'wartime mode', official media reported on Tuesday (Jan 5), after the province surrounding capital Beijing saw its first locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in more than six months. Hebei reported 19 local infections and 40 asymptomatic cases between last Saturday and Monday, according to data from the Chinese health authorities. The last time the province recorded locally transmitted infections was in June last year. Nationally, mainland China reported 33 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday, with 14 of the 17 local cases recorded in Hebei and 16 cases imported from overseas.