Millions under virus lockdown as China battles Delta outbreak

China restricted millions of people to their homes on Monday as the administration attempted to quell the country’s greatest coronavirus outbreak in months with mass testing and travel restrictions.

China reported 55 new locally transmitted coronavirus cases on Monday, as a fast-spreading Delta variant outbreak extended over more than 20 cities and a dozen provinces.

Millions of people have been tested by local governments in key cities, including Beijing, while residential compounds have been cordoned off and close connections have been quarantined.

According to an official announcement, the central city of Zhuzhou in Hunan province ordered roughly 1.2 million citizens to remain at home for the next three days as it conducts a citywide testing and vaccination program.

The government of Zhuzhou stated, “The situation is still gloomy and difficult.”

After the coronavirus initially emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, Beijing boasted of its accomplishment in reducing domestic cases to nearly zero, allowing the economy to recover.

With over 360 domestic cases identified in the last two weeks, the latest outbreak, connected to a cluster in Nanjing where nine workers at an international airport tested positive on July 20, is endangering that success.

An outbreak of the virus spread last month in the tourist attraction of Zhangjiajie, near Zhuzhou, among theatre customers who subsequently transported the infection back to their homes across the country.

On Friday, Zhangjiajie’s 1.5 million inhabitants were evacuated. Officials are looking for persons who have recently travelled from Nanjing or Zhangjiajie, and tourists are being advised not to visit regions where instances have been discovered.

Meanwhile, during the busy summer holiday travel season, Beijing has barred tourists from entering the city.

Following the identification of a handful of cases among people who had returned from Zhangjiajie, only “necessary travellers” with negative nucleic acid tests will be allowed to enter.

On Sunday, top city officials urged people “not to leave Beijing unless absolutely necessary.”

Last Monday, the Changping area of the capital evicted 41,000 individuals from nine housing estates.

On Monday, new cases were reported in Hainan, a major vacation destination, as well as flood-ravaged Henan province, according to national health officials.

This article has been posted by a News Hour Correspondent. For queries, please contact through [email protected]
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