BEIJING (AP) – A city in southern China trying to contain a coronavirus outbreak told the public on Sunday not to leave the city, suspended bus and train service and closed cinemas, bars and other facilities. lations.
Anyone who has to leave Putian, a city of 2.9 million people in Fujian Province in southern Shanghai, to make a must-see trip, must have proof of a negative coronavirus test in the last 48 hours, announced the city government.
China declared the coronavirus controlled in early 2020, but has suffered outbreaks of the most contagious delta variant. Authorities say most cases are referred to travelers arriving from Russia, Myanmar and other countries.
In Putian, 19 new infections were reported to have been acquired locally within 24 hours until midnight on Saturday, according to the National Health Commission. One was reported in Quanzhou, also in Fujian.
The first cases in Putian were students from Xianyou County, but experts suspect the outbreak could have been caused by the father of a student who returned from Singapore on August 4, according to the official Global Times newspaper.
The traveler, identified by the surname Lin, underwent a 14-day quarantine and nine serological and nucleic acid tests, all negative, according to the Global Times, which cites local authorities. He said he tested positive on Friday.
According to the newspaper, residents were banned from leaving Xianyou villages where infections were found.
Bus and train service in Putian was suspended on Saturday, the Global Times said.
Elsewhere in Putian, the closure of cinemas, card rooms, gyms, tourist sites and other facilities was ordered, the city government announced. Restaurants and supermarkets were told to “strictly control” customer numbers and check for fever. In schools, students were ordered to wear masks in class.
Experts were sent to Putian to oversee disease control work, the Health Commission announced on Saturday.
China has reported 4,636 coronavirus deaths from 95,199 confirmed cases.