BEIJING, Jan 18:
The Indian Embassy here on Monday announced that the flag hoisting ceremony for this year’s Republic Day on January 26 will be confined to its staff only, citing the resurgence of coronavirus cases in provinces adjoining Beijing and related restrictions.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic-related current scenario in Beijing and its adjoining provinces, Hebei and Heilongjiang and related measures, including restriction of movements, observation of prevention and control measures and prohibition of large gatherings, the flag hoisting ceremony will be held with participation of officials of embassy only, a note from the embassy said.
Every year, a large number of Indian diaspora in Beijing and nearby provinces attend the flag hoisting ceremony on the Republic Day and Independence Day at the embassy.
According to the official media here, 11 Chinese regions are under de facto lockdown amid the relapse of the coronavirus infections. A team of international experts from the World Health Organisation has arrived in Wuhan, where the deadly virus first emerged in December 2019, to conduct the long-awaited probe into the origins of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) on Monday reported 109 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 93 locally transmitted cases that were recorded on Sunday.
Of the locally transmitted cases, 54 were reported in Hebei, 30 in Jilin, seven in Heilongjiang, and two in Beijing, the commission said in its daily report.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in China reached 88,336 by Sunday and 4,635 people have died of the disease, NHC said.
According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, there are 95,045,802 COVID-19 cases globally, with 2,030,842 deaths. (PTI)
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