What’s new: Central China’s Wuhan will start testing its entire population of 12 million while tightening restrictions after Covid-19 cases reemerged in the city for the first time in more than a year.
Wuhan in Hubei province reported seven Covid-19 infections over the past two days, the first local transmissions recorded in the city since June 2020. City authorities locked down some communities linked to cases of infection and ordered the closing of schools and summer camps.
The context: China is experiencing one of its biggest outbreaks in months, with new cases reported in at least 16 provinces and cities including Nanjing, Zhengzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. Some cases are linked to a flare-up of the delta variant of the coronavirus that began spreading in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province.
The National Health Commission said 61 locally transmitted cases were recorded Monday, after 55 local cases a day earlier.
Cities have stepped up control measures to contain the new wave of outbreaks. Beijing suspended inbound flights, trains and long-distance buses from areas with higher risks.
Wuhan was the hardest-hit Chinese city during the pandemic and reported (link in Chinese) a total of 50,333 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 3,869 related deaths, accounting for the vast majority of deaths in China. The city reopened April 8, 2020, after 76 days of lockdown. It was officially free of any infections as of June 16, 2020.
Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com)
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