According to the DPA, a new outbreak of a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus delta has led to massive restrictions for residents of Southeast China.
Authorities in the coastal metropolis of Xiamen in Fujian Province today ordered 4.3 million city residents not to leave the city. Mass events were canceled, schools switched to distance learning, and restaurants and shopping malls were closed.
The measures were introduced after 32 new cases of coronavirus were registered in the city yesterday, bringing the total number of people infected in Fujian province to more than 100 since last week.
The current outbreak came from the city of Putian, north of Xiamen. It is believed that the man transmitted the Putian virus after a trip to Singapore. The man returned to China on August 4, spent 21 days in quarantine and tested negative for coronavirus nine times. But last Friday his test was positive. Isolation on weekends has also been introduced in Putian.
The Chinese authorities are implementing a strategy to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases to zero. Due to curfew, contact tracking, quarantine and the strictest entry restrictions, China has been able to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Clusters of the Delta variant have recently been reported in some places, but so far they have always been under the control of strict anti-virus measures.