Lanzhou city of four million people is isolated. In Beijing, access to tourist sites was restricted and residents must avoid going out.
Chinese authorities on Tuesday imposed a lockdown on the northwestern city of Lanzhou of four million people to contain a small outbreak of COVID-19 within 100 days of the start of the Beijing Winter Games.
“All residential neighborhoods must remain closed” and movements strictly controlled, the municipality announced after China registered 29 local infections of the coronavirus on Tuesday.
Although the figure seems insignificant compared to other countries, in China authorities stepped up vigilance as the country prepares for the Winter Olympics as of February 2022.
China imposed strict border controls after the virus was first detected in late 2019 and managed to reduce the number of infections to almost nothing, allowing its economy to recover.
But while the rest of the world opened up and looked for ways to cope with the virus, China maintained a zero tolerance policy that led to strict lockdowns in several cities.
Lanzhou authorities said that “the entry and exit of residents” will be strictly controlled and limited to essential purchases or medical care.
Of the 29 cases detected on Tuesday, six were in Lanzhou, capital of the northwestern province of Gansu.
The city had already stopped bus and taxi services, and state media reported that Lanzhou Station suspended more than 70 trains, including major routes to Beijing and Xi’an.
A representative from Southern Airlines told AFP that all its flights between Beijing and Lanzhou were canceled without a scheduled date for their resumption.
The new rules are in addition to strict confinement orders imposed on tens of thousands of people in northern China.
The latest outbreak of the coronavirus in China has been associated with the contagious delta variant, with more than 100 new cases registered in the last week.
Health authorities warned that more infections could occur as tests increased in the coming days to combat the outbreak, which started with a group of local tourists.
Measurements in Beijing
In Beijing, which reported three new infections on Tuesday, access to tourist sites was restricted, the busy Lama Temple was closed and residents were told not to leave the city unless necessary.
Several residential complexes in the capital are also under lockdown, and the city indefinitely postponed the Beijing marathon, originally scheduled for next Sunday, in which 30,000 runners were expected to participate.
In addition, the community rooms for chess and mahjong, a Chinese board game, were closed, while residents were asked to avoid crowds.
The measures reflect the determination of the authorities to eradicate the latest coronavirus outbreak as the Beijing Games approach.
On Tuesday, the official Xinhua news agency reported that the Communist Party secretary in the city of Ejin Banner, in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, was removed from his post “due to poor performance and implementation of epidemic controls and prevention.” .
That city ordered the confinement of about 35,000 of its residents since Monday before the outbreak of the virus that mainly affects north China.
Meanwhile, massive tests are being carried out in 11 provinces and authorities suspended inter-provincial tour groups in five areas where cases were detected, including Beijing.
The total number of active infected in mainland China amounts to 603, 21 of which are serious.
According to the accounts of the institution, since the beginning of the pandemic, 96,840 people have been infected in the country, among which 91,601 have managed to heal and 4,636 died.
To date, 1,233,485 close contacts with infected people have been followed up, of which 33,307 continue to be observed. (I)
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