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 putting in place a defense line across the whole of society and relying on the people to win the battle.

(18) March 11: WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced, "We have therefore made the assessment that Covid-19 can be characterized as a pandemic."

(19) March 11 to 17: The daily increase in the number of domestic cases on the Chinese mainland remained in single digits. The epidemic peak had passed in China as a whole, with the number of new cases steadily declining and the epidemic comfortably under control.

(20) March 17: Forty-two medical teams from around the country left Wuhan, having completed their mission there.

Stage IV: Wuhan and Hubei - An Initial Victory in a Critical Battle (March 18-April 28, 2020)

By making critical advances in the city of Wuhan, the main battleground against the virus, China initially halted the spread of Covid-19 on the mainland. Restrictions on outbound traffic from Wuhan City and Hubei Province were lifted, and all Covid-19 patients in Wuhan hospitals were discharged. China won a critical battle in defending Wuhan and Hubei against Covid-19, which was a major step forward in the nationwide virus control effort.

During this period, sporadic cases were reported, and more infections were caused by inbound arrivals carrying the virus which continued to spread overseas. In response to the evolving Covid-19 dynamics, the CPC Central Committee adopted an approach to prevent the coronavirus from entering the country and stem its domestic resurgence. Efforts were made to consolidate gains in virus control, promptly treat cluster cases, and get the country back to work sector by sector. Care and support were given to Chinese citizens abroad (see Chart 7).