The local epidemic transmission of the novel coronavirus in China is “basically blocked,” National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng said on Sunday.

The current number of confirmed cases in the country dropped to fewer than 3,000 on March 28, therefore local transmission has been blocked, Feng said at a press conference.

However, he added that the possibility of a new wave of transmission from imported cases remains high, as there are 693 confirmed imported cases from 42 countries.

Here’s some background: China is closing its border to most foreigners amid fears of imported novel coronavirus cases causing a second outbreak in the country where the infection was first detected.

In a statement last week, the government said that “in view of the rapid spread of Covid-19 across the world, China has decided to temporarily suspend the entry into China by foreign nationals holding visas or residence permits” as of March 28.