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After six new cases, Wuhan plans to test all 11 million residents for coronavirus

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May 12, 2020 at 7:28 a.m. EDT
A worker checks passengers’ temperatures and a health code on their phones at Hankou train station in Wuhan, China, on Tuesday. Officials plans to test all residents of Wuhan after new infections were reported. (Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images)

Authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan plan to test all 11 million residents for the novel coronavirus by the end of next week in a massive push to extinguish any remnants of the virus from the original epicenter of the global pandemic.

The all-encompassing mission — announced Monday and paid for by district governments — contrasts with shortages of testing kits in some other countries, including the United States, where people have complained about not being able to get a test despite having coronavirus symptoms.