China: Wuhan marathon canceled due to increase in Covid-19 cases

A photo of the Wuhan Marathon runners taken during the 2018 edition of the event.

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Despite the 26,000 registered participants, the authorities of the city in which the coronavirus was first identified have decided to postpone the race scheduled for this Sunday "sine die" as fear grows of a resurgence of Covid-19 a few months away from the Beijing Olympics.

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With our correspondent in Beijing,

Twenty-six new cases of contamination reported by health authorities on Sunday, October 24 on just under 600 infected people are enough to put the country of “zero Covid” on a war footing.

The litany of loudspeakers encouraging the wearing of a mask and showing their green code on their

has resumed in public places, massive screenings of populations are carried out in areas where positive cases have been discovered, and staff at the counters. stations and in trains have once again put on their anti-virus kit - latex gloves, plexiglass goggles or visor and reinforced protective mask of the KN95 type.

100 days before the Winter Games

The Wuhan marathon has been postponed "in

", explain the organizers who have pledged to reimburse the registration fees of the competitors. Other sporting events, including the Beijing marathon, could experience the same fate in the coming days as the Chinese capital will launch the countdown of 100 days before the

Wednesday

. Everything is ready on the facilities side, including artificial snow, but the authorities recently admitted "to

" in the face of the risk of a resurgence of the virus. To prevent viral pneumonia from spoiling the party, the campaign to “recall” a

started with an 80% vaccinated population.

New PCR test

Health bubble in the health bubble, Beijing like Wuhan, a city symbolizing the start of the pandemic, benefit from additional health barriers, including quarantine of at least three weeks for travelers arriving from abroad, double checking of Covid passes. 19 at stations and airports and increased surveillance of schools.

Friday evening, well after the end of classes, schools in Beijing sent a note to parents warning that students and teachers will be subjected to a new PCR test from Monday.

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