Virus-hit Hebei, Liaoning postpone legislative meetings

SHIJIAZHUANG/SHENYANG -- North China's Hebei province, which has seen a surge in new COVID-19 cases, and Liaoning province, which is recovering from a recent outbreak, have postponed their annual provincial legislative meetings.

According to the Standing Committee of the Hebei Provincial People's Congress, the annual session of the provincial legislature was postponed pending further notice.

The meeting was originally scheduled on Jan 25 in Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital that has reported the bulk of the recent COVID-19 cases in Hebei.

The Standing Committee of the Liaoning Provincial People's Congress also said in an announcement that the provincial legislative meeting will be slated for a later date.

Hebei on Wednesday reported 81 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and four locally transmitted asymptomatic cases, the majority of which were in Shijiazhuang, the provincial health commission said on Thursday.

The northeastern province of Liaoning on Wednesday reported no new confirmed COVID-19 cases or asymptomatic cases. The province currently has 51 confirmed cases being treated in hospitals.