CHINA. Authorities are racing to control the latest COVID-19 outbreak as the latest, Nanjing-centred, outbreak gathers pace.
The National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China yesterday reported 55 new locally transmitted cases across eight provinces, up by just two on the previous day’s tally. Of those, 40 were from Jiangsu province, of which Nanjing is the capital.
Worryingly from a travel retail perspective, a case was reported in Haikou, capital of Hainan province. The patient had close links with confirmed infections in Jiangsu province, of which Nanjing is the capital.
Hainan Hinews Media Co, The Moodie Davitt Report’s strategic partner in Hainan, reported today that the Hainan Provincial Health Commission had discovered the case on Sunday. The patient, who is currently isolated and being treated in a designated hospital, is in stable condition. After sequencing the gene of the positive sample, it was preliminarily determined to be a Delta mutant strain, Hainan Hinews reported.
Based on the case’s trajectory and contact history, 1,650 people have so far been quarantined and medically observed in Hainan Province, and the nucleic acid test results of the new coronavirus have all been negative, the report said.
Haikou City has so far carried out novel coronavirus nucleic acid tests for the relevant population involved in the trajectory of the case. A total of 15,346 samples have been tested and the results were all negative. Haikou has currently adopted closed control measures for four local communities.
Given China’s population of around 1.4 billion, the number of local transmissions countrywide remains very small (the US had nearly 40,000 new cases yesterday) but as the highly infectious Delta variant is involved, the country is on red alert.
The other confirmed new infections were in Hunan province (7), Beijing (2), Hubei province (2), Shandong (1), Henan (1) and Yunnan (1).
| Hainan strengthens COVID-19 protection measures The Hainan Provincial COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters has stiffened controls to better protect the province from the latest outbreak that has authorities on red alert across China, Hainan International Media Center reports.
The measures were announced on Saturday, a day before a single case – linked to the fast-spreading Delta variant – was discovered in the island’s capital Haikou. Here is a summary of the situation, courtesy of Hainan International Media Center (part of Hainan Hinews Media Co). In order to better control the sources of infection and cut off channels of transmission, the following regulations for those coming to Hainan have been put in place starting 31 July: 1. Those coming to Hainan are required to show a green national or Hainan health code as well as an itinerary record indicating no past visits to risky areas or areas with infections before exiting airports or ports in Hainan. 2. Those coming to Hainan who have visited medium or high risk areas and areas with infections within China during the past 14 days are required to report to their local community before coming to Hainan, or within 12 hours after arriving in Hainan. 3. For those coming to Hainan who have visited medium or high risk areas in China, a first NAT (nucleic acid test) will be administered upon arrival in Hainan. If the NAT result is negative, a 14-day quarantine followed by a second NAT is required. If the second NAT result is also negative, another 7-day self-isolation is required, then a third NAT. (NATs are free of charge.) 4. For those coming to Hainan who have visited areas with infections in China, a negative NAT taken within the past 48 hours must be provided before exiting airports or ports in Hainan. For those who can’t provide this, a first NAT will be administered upon arrival in Hainan, and a second NAT will be administered within 24 hours after arriving in Hainan. If both results are negative, a 14-day self-isolation is required (counting from the day of leaving the areas with infections). (NATs are free of charge.) 5. Schools, universities, and all work units should check the green health codes as well as the itinerary records of their students and employees. 6. All airports and ports are responsible for optimising the checking process and improving transportation efficiency. 7. Do not go to medium and high risk areas or areas with infections unless necessary. If necessary, the above regulations must be obeyed. 8. In case of symptoms such as fever or cough, please put on a mask and go to the nearest medical institution for treatment as soon as possible, and report your recent travel history to the medical staff. |
Wuhan, capital of Central China’s Hubei Province, where the outbreak began in late 2019, reported seven locally transmitted COVID-19 cases today (Monday), according to Global Times. The city has reported zero local infections since June 2020.
Global Times reported at the weekend that at least 18 Chinese provinces in China had sounded the alarm after more than 300 domestic cases were detected in 10 days. The state media described the situation as “the worst epidemic in months”.
The number of medium-risk regions across the country rose to 95 on Sunday, the title reported. Additionally, four regions were classified as high-risk regions, including Dehong Prefecture of Yunnan, Nanjing of Jiangsu and Zhengzhou of Henan.
The hugely popular tourism city of Zhangjiajie in Hunan province – home to the famed Wulingyuan Scenic Park – has demanded that communities strengthen control and has urged people to stay indoors. The city also closed its tourist sites and required all tourists to take three nucleic acid tests before returning home.
People, vehicles, airlines and trains from regions with reported COVID-19 infections are being restricted from entering Beijing, the local municipal government said on Sunday.
Global Times reported that the city of Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province, where 12 confirmed cases were reported on Saturday, has suspended all domestic airlines and boats in and out of the city. Southwest China’s Sichuan Province suspended its cross-province group tours.
Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan has stressed solid efforts to prevent and control COVID-19 outbreaks and curb the spread of the virus. Sun, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during her inspection in Nanjing from 29 July to 1 August.
