China imposes lockdown on millions of residents as delta spreads

The Chinese authorities imposed a closure on millions of residents today, while trying to contain the largest outbreak of “Covid” in months, by conducting large-scale examinations and imposing travel restrictions.

China recorded 55 new infections caused by local transmission, while the highly contagious delta mutant is spreading in more than 20 cities and more than ten provinces.

Local governments in major cities, including Beijing, have so far subjected millions of residents to Corona examinations, while closing residential complexes and imposing quarantine on contacts of the infected.

Quzhou City, in Hunan Province, has ordered its more than 1.2 million residents to undergo strict isolation measures over the next three days, while launching a citywide examination and vaccination campaign, according to an official statement.

The Chuzhou government described the situation as "still grim and complicated."

Beijing had previously boasted of its success in reducing the number of infections to almost zero after the virus first appeared in the world in Wuhan, in the center of the country in late 2019, which allowed the economy to recover.

But the latest cluster of infections, linked to cases in Nanjing where nine international airport cleaners tested positive on July 20, threatens that success as more than 360 local infections have been reported over the past two weeks.

New injuries were recorded today, in Hainan, which is a popular tourist destination, as well as in Henan Province, which witnessed recent floods, according to what the national health authorities announced.

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