The Chinese authorities announced on Tuesday (26) a blockade in Lanzhou, a northwestern city of 4 million people, to contain the epicenter of Covid-19 to 100 days before the start of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
“All residential neighborhoods must remain closed and displacements under strict control,” the city declared after China reported 29 local cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday.
Although the number of new cases is low compared to other countries, The Chinese government is stepping up surveillance As the country prepares to host the Winter Olympics in February.
China imposed strict border restrictions after the virus was first detected in late 2019, and has managed to reduce the number of infections to almost zero, allowing its economy to recover.
Lanzhou authorities said the “entry and exit of residents” would be tightly controlled and limited to essential purchases or medical care.
Of the 29 cases detected on Tuesday, six were recorded in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province.
The new rules come on top of strict confinement orders imposed on tens of thousands of people in northern China.
The most recent outbreak of the coronavirus in the country has been linked to the infectious delta variant, with more than 100 new cases reported in the past week.
Health officials have warned of the potential for new outbreaks to emerge as detection testing expands in the coming days to combat the initial outbreak, which is linked to a group of domestic tourists.
In Beijing, which recorded three new infections on Tuesday, access to tourist sites remains restricted and residents have been advised not to leave their city unless necessary.
Several apartment complexes in the capital are also under confinement, and the city has indefinitely postponed the Beijing Marathon, which was originally scheduled for next Sunday and will involve 30,000 runners.
The measures reflect the authorities’ determination to stem the latest outbreak of the coronavirus as the Beijing Olympics approach.
And the Communist Party secretary of Ijen Banner city, in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, was dismissed from his post “for his poor performance in implementing epidemic control and prevention,” Xinhua news agency reported.
The city was hit by the latest wave of infections, mainly in northern China.
At the same time, large-scale testing is being organized in 11 provinces, and the authorities have suspended inter-provincial tour groups in five regions where infection cases have been detected, including Beijing.
In addition, the city of Hong Kong also announced that it will tighten entry restrictions on its territory, which are already among the most stringent in the world, to join China in the fight against Covid-19.
The international financial center, with a supposedly semi-autonomous but increasingly Beijing-controlled government, is already imposing a mandatory 14-21-day hotel quarantine for most travelers.
The isolation has allowed the epidemic to be almost completely controlled, but it is criticized by the economic sectors concerned with the city’s competitiveness.
The rules include rare exceptions, especially for diplomats or senior businessmen who are authorized to do isolation at home, or for some Hong Kong residents arriving from mainland China.
“We will soon announce the abolition of most quarantine exceptions,” local government chief Carrie Lam said, without disclosing further details.
