At least 20 new cases of contagion yesterday in Guangdong: 18 in its capital. Parts of the city closed; hundreds of flights from the local airport cancelled. The new infections linked to the Indian variant of the disease. Acceleration of the national vaccination campaign.
Guangzhou (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The city authorities have closed parts of the capital of Guangdong after the increase in cases from Covid-19 in recent days. Of the 27 new infections recorded yesterday in China, 20 are concentrated in the southern province: 18 in Guangzhou and 2 in Foshan.
Chen Bin, deputy director of the municipal health commission, said yesterday that the new infections are attributable to the Indian variant of Covid-19, which has proved highly contagious. For the moment, the numbers counted in China are still far from the most affected countries.
Five streets in Guangzhou, in the Liwan district, have been in lockdown since May 29. Residents must remain in their homes and non-essential activities are suspended; markets and entertainment venues are also closed.
People leaving the city by plane, train, or bus must have a negative coronavirus test - performed within 27 hours prior to departure. Passengers on flights in transit at the city airport are not obliged to do so. Almost 40% of departures were cancelled in the morning.
The resurgence of the pandemic in Guandong risks postponing the full opening of the border with neighbouring Hong Kong. Coronavirus first appeared in Wuhan (Hubei) in late 2019; in the summer of 2020, the Chinese government said it had successfully contained its spread. After the initial difficulties, the authorities have accelerated the vaccination campaign: in the last five days, 100 million doses have been administered, bringing the national total to 600 million single doses.