After reviving from the first wave of the deadly pandemic, China is once again combating COVID-19 as new daily cases spiked to the highest in nearly six weeks – with more than 90% patients coming from other countries.

After wiping out COVID-19 domestically to a very large extent, China has been slowly easing curbs on movement as it attempts to revive its economy. However, a sudden spike in the number of imported cases has raised questions on the second wave of the virus.

As many as 108 fresh cases were reported in mainland China on Sunday, up from 99 a day earlier, reaching the highest daily tally since March 5. Of this, imported cases were at a record 98.

The National Health Commission of China on Monday said that 98 of the fresh cases were imported by people entering China from another countries, a new record and up from 97 a day earlier. The number of asymptomatic people also fell to 61 from 63 a day earlier.

With these numbers, the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China have jumped to 82,160, while the death toll increased by two to 3,341.

Even though the number of daily cases fell sharply in February, China has witnessed the daily toll crawl higher after hitting a trough on March 12 as the virus spread across the globe.

Infected people are entering the country and this could possibly push the country back into a state of near standstill and lockdown, putting millions of lives at risk.

China’s northeast Heilongjiang province which borders Russia has become the new battleground against the coronavirus. Amid increasing fears, Chinese cities that share their borders with Russia are planning to tighten border controls and put stringent quarantine measures on arrivals in place.

Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Global Death Toll Crosses 40,000, Confirmed Cases Surpass 857,400