Chinese authorities have ordered tens of thousands of residents to be confined in the country’s north and urged residents of the capital to limit travel after a surge in Covid-19 cases, just 100 days before the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
China identified 39 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday (25) and more than 100 over the past week. Many infectious diseases are associated with the movement of a group of tourists.
The Chinese government, which has a “zero tolerance” policy for the virus, responded quickly by imposing restrictions, as well as organizing testing campaigns in affected areas.
Beijing, the city that will host the Winter Olympics starting on February 4, has indefinitely postponed the marathon, which had been scheduled for October 31 and will feature nearly 30,000 runners. “The test has been postponed to avoid the risks of transmission of the epidemic,” the organizers announced.
A government official in the Chinese capital has urged residents to avoid “non-essential” trips outside the city and meetings with lots of people.
Officials said anyone from the area where Covid-19 cases have been identified should test negative. New cases were detected in 11 provinces, most of them in the northern region of the country.
In Ijen, a city in northern Inner Mongolia, nearly 35,000 people had been detained as of Monday for two weeks.
In some cities in the north of the country, including Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, bus and taxi services have been suspended. Tourist sites have also been closed.
On Sunday, authorities already announced the suspension of organized tourist trips to five regions where Covid-19 cases have been reported, including Beijing.
