BEIJING, December 22 (TMTPOST)— Xi’an city, the capital of Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province and home to terracotta warriors, has imposed a series of pandemic control restrictions to battle a new wave of Covid-19 resurgence.
The restrictions include the partial shutdown of residential communities and the closure of non-essential business spaces.
Each family can send only one person to purchase daily necessities once every two days, local authorities said at a press release on Wednesday. Visitors to Xi’an are required to present a 48-hour negative test result to enter the city. Taxicabs are prohibited from entering high-risk areas.
The city currently has one high-risk Covid-19 area and 40 medium-risk areas. To date, 149 local transmission cases have been reported in Shaanxi Province, 143 of which were detected in Xi’an.
The Covid-19 resurgence in Xi’an has spilled over to other cities, including Dongguan in Guangdong Province and Beijing’s Tongzhou district. Genome sequencing shows this round of outbreaks was caused by the Delta variant, authorities said.
China announced more stringent Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control rules on Monday as the rampant Omicron variant threatens the country’s dynamic zero-covid policy. China currently has a dynamic zero-case policy in place for controlling and preventing Covid-19, imposing strict pandemic protocols, and taking proactive actions to eradicate Covid-19. By contrast, countries like the United States, Japan, and Britain are working to manage it.
See also: China to Continue Zero-Covid Policy Amid Domestic Infection Resurgence
The Omicron variant is more contagious than the Delta variant but most cases appear to show mild symptoms, scientists believe. The Omicron variant has already accounted for over 73% of new coronavirus cases in the United States in less than three weeks after the first case was reported, according to CNN.
The upcoming Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics in Beijing will put more pressure on Chinese authorities and relevant health workers at border controls.
关键词: English