Beijing Omicron News: China has been battling Omicron and Delta outbreaks in several cities, testing the country's tough "Zero-Covid" strategy just weeks before hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Here is a reduction in the number of actions being taken in
key areas of the world's most populous country.
Tianjin: Tianjin is home to China's largest domestic omega cluster so far, with nearly 300 local cases reported, the most widespread variation being first discovered a week ago.
Authorities have not yet identified the source of the
outbreak, as the city completed a third round of mass testing of its 14 million
residents last week. Authorities have stopped ordering a complete lockdown of
the city, which is an important industrial manufacturing and port hub. Last
week, carmakers Toyota and Volkswagen closed their factories in the city.
Affected districts have been locked down since last week,
with locals unable to leave their homes. Residents cannot leave the city
without official permission. The spread of Tianjin is important because the
city is just 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Beijing.
Authorities increased restrictions on transport to the
capital by canceling trains and setting up highway check posts. The Tianjin
outbreak has already spread to the Dalian Coastal Port of Anyang and Liang
Province in Henan Province.
Beijing: Tensions
have been running high since the capital's first local broadcast, the Omicron
variant, was reported on Saturday, just weeks before the start of the Winter
Olympics.
The city is now demanding a negative test before travel and
a further test after entering the city, urging residents not to leave the city
for the upcoming lunar New Year holiday. Some major tourist attractions were
closed as authorities examined 13,000 people working and living in the affected
areas.
The capital closed its Winter Olympics "closed
loop", cocoon thousands of athletes and Games staff for weeks without
direct physical access to the outside world.
Guangdong: The
southern province, home to several major manufacturing facilities in the
densely populated Pearl River Delta, has been battling simultaneous omicron and
delta penetration in at least four cities, leading to targeted lockdowns and
massive testing.
Authorities on Monday reported nine new local cases in the
province, which is spread across the cities of Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Mizo and
Zhangzhou. Shenzhen's main tech hub has been registering some cases related to
the Delta variant since last week, but it reported its first Omicron infection
on Sunday.
Due to delays at the Yantian cargo port in the busiest city
in China, authorities have connected two spreads to workers in the
international supply chain. Zhuhai, a coastal city on the Macau border, ordered
mass inspections of its residents and asked them not to leave the city unless
necessary, as seven Omicron cases were registered on Friday.
All tourist attractions were closed and long-distance buses
and waterways were discontinued. Some positive cases have also been found in
the city of Jangshan near Shenzhen since last week, leading to travel
restrictions and public transportation suspensions.
Henan: Several
cities in the central province of Henan - near Xi'an - have been strengthening virus controls in
response to hundreds of new infections since late December.
The province reported 68 new local broadcasts on Monday,
with the hotspot city being 60 in Anyang, seven in Xuchang and one in the
provincial capital Zhengzhou. Zhengzhou imposed a partial lockdown and ordered
an investigation into its nearly 13 million residents.
Meanwhile, the cities of Anyang and Yuzhou were placed in
lockdown, affecting nearly six million residents. On the other hand, it ordered
the closure of all commercial stores and takeout restaurants except to ensure
the supply of essential goods.
Xi'an: The
historic city with a population of 13 million is in its fourth week of a tough
lockdown as it races to cover 2,000-cases, the biggest in months.
Residents known for their terracotta warriors should not
leave their homes or move out of the city. Local officials were on fire over
maintaining the lockdown with supply problems and medical tragedies. Cases have
slowed to single digit statistics in recent days.
(Except for the title, we did not edit this article and it
was published from a web feed.)

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