Protective suit-clad inspectors in the epicentre of China's viral outbreak went door-to-door on Wednesday to find every infected person in the central city suffering most from an epidemic that is showing signs of waning as new cases fell for a second day.
Wuhan, where the new form of coronavirus emerged, is on the final day of a campaign to root out anyone with symptoms whom authorities may have missed so far.
"This must be taken seriously," said Wang Zhonglin, the city's newly minted Communist Party secretary. If a single new case is found (after Wednesday), the district leaders will be held responsible."
His remarks were published on Hubei's provincial website, alongside the declaration, If the masses cannot mobilize, it's impossible to fight a people's war.
Mainland China reported on Wednesday 1,749 new cases and 136 additional deaths. While the overall spread of the COVID-19 illness has been slowing, the situation remains severe in Hubei province, which has Wuhan as its capital.
Infections in Hubei constitute more than 80 per cent of the country's 74,185 total cases and 95 per cent of its 2,004 deaths, according to data from China's National Health Commission.
Cities in Hubei with a combined population of more than 60 million have been under lockdown since the Lunar New Year holiday last month, usually the busiest time of the year for travel.
Authorities put a halt to nearly all transportation and movement except for quarantine efforts, medical care and delivery of food and basic necessities.
"Wartime" measures were implemented in some places where residents were prevented from leaving their apartments altogether.
The stringent measures have followed public fury over Hubei authorities' handling of the epidemic when it began in December.
The risk of human-to-human transmission was downplayed, and doctors who tried to warn the public were reprimanded by police. Wuhan residents reported overcrowding in hospitals and futile attempts to seek treatment.
Many countries have also set up border screenings and airlines have cancelled flights to and from China to prevent further spread of the disease, which has been detected in around two dozen countries and caused about 1,000 confirmed cases outside mainland China.
Five deaths have been reported outside the mainland, in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and France.
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