41 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in China on Friday (Mar. 20, 2020), all of which were imported cases.

For the third consecutive day, China has reported no new cases of domestically transmitted Covid-19 infections.

Increasing number of imported cases

Wuhan city, the original epicentre of the outbreak, also reported zero cases on Mar. 20.

While locally transmitted cases of Covid-19 has plateaued in mainland China, imported cases have risen to a total of 269, as of Mar. 20, Chinese state media Global Times reported.

Seven deaths were also reported yesterday (Mar. 20).

The numbers have drastically dropped in China, compared to last month, where new cases daily were in the thousands.

Risk of second outbreak from imported cases?

Chinese experts have warned, according to Global Times, that the wave of imported cases to mainland China could lead to a second outbreak in the country.

The imported cases situation in China "is severe" - virus carriers or those in the incubation period could travel to China at any time, Chinese epidemiologist Li Lanjuan said to Changjiang Daily on Mar. 19.

Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at U.S. think tank Council on Foreign Relations told Global Times that the epidemic may "revive" in China if imported cases surge, as the majority of China's population are not immune to the virus.

Top image via People's Daily China/Twitter