Coronavirus: China epicentre starts to reopen, security talks off

Hong Kong, March 28 (AFP/APP): Here are the latest developments from Asia related to the novel coronavirus pandemic: – Wuhan eases travel rules – Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged last year, partly reopened on Saturday after more than two months of near-total isolation for its population of 11 million. People are now allowed to enter Wuhan but not leave. State media showed the first officially sanctioned passenger train arriving there just after midnight. The city in Hubei province was placed under lockdown in January with roadblocks ring-fencing its outskirts and drastic restrictions on daily life. – Security talks canceled – A top Asian security conference that gathers defense ministers — including from the US and China — and senior military officials was canceled due to the pandemic. The Shangri-La Dialogue, held annually since 2002, had been scheduled for early June in Singapore with more than 40 countries set to participate. But its organizer, the London-based think-tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, said it had decided to cancel this year’s event “in light of the serious challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic” such as travel restrictions imposed by many nations. – Indian migrants walk home … Continue reading Coronavirus: China epicentre starts to reopen, security talks off