The largest coronavirus outbreak in China in months has spread to two other parts of the country. The National Health Commission reported 55 new cases, including in Fujian Province and the city of Chongqing further west, where around seven million people live in the core area. Previously, infections with the delta variant of the virus had been reported from four provinces and the capital Beijing.
There are now over 200 infections nationwide due to an outbreak in the east Chinese city of Nanjing. There, on July 20, nine cleaners at the international airport tested positive. According to the authorities, all cases are due to the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.
Mass test in Nanjing
In the Jiangzu province with its capital Nanjing, hundreds of thousands of people are affected by lockdowns. All 9.2 million residents of the provincial capital have been tested twice, according to the authorities.
In Beijing’s Changping District, where two cases have been reported so far, around 41,000 people have been forced to stay in their homes. In the Chinese capital, it is the first officially recorded corona cases in six months.
The tourist city of Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province, in which a handful of infections can be traced back to a theater performance, imposed a curfew on all 1.5 million residents on Friday and closed all tourist attractions, according to an official statement.
The government in Beijing is pursuing a zero COVID strategy: If small clusters appear in a city or province, the affected areas are cordoned off and all residents are tested for the virus.
Brisbane in lockdown again
Australia is also reacting to new corona cases with tough measures. A strict curfew has been imposed on Brisbane, the country’s third largest city. Queensland Deputy Prime Minister Steven Miles announced that millions of residents will have to stay at home for three days starting this Saturday. “The only way to defeat the Delta variant is to act quickly,” Miles justified the drastic measures.
Demonstration against the government’s corona measures in Brisbane
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A total of seven infections with the Delta variant had previously been recorded. A teacher, a student and their family are associated with this. According to their own information, the authorities are still trying to find the origin of the infections.
Vaccination rate: 13 percent
Australia had long been able to contain the pandemic to a large extent by closing its borders, quickly imposing lockdowns in the event of outbreaks and intensive contact follow-up. However, only around 13 percent of the population is fully vaccinated against the virus.
The number of infections has been increasing for a month due to the highly contagious Delta variant. Sydney, the largest city in the country, has been in lockdown for weeks. However, the restrictions have so far not slowed the spread of the pathogen. The police now want to crack down on people who do not adhere to the curfew.
jj / sti (afp, rtr)
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