China locks down four million people as Delta variant drives infections

China locked down
large parts of the country today as it sees a surge in COVID-19 infections.
Nearly four million people are under lockdown and have been ordered to stay at
home except in case of emergencies. Beijing has continuously maintained strict
vigilance on infection outbreaks since the beginning of the pandemic. The
current curbs come after China reported 29 new infections, including six cases
in Lanzhou, the provincial capital of the northwestern Gansu province.

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The curbs include strict
restrictions on entry and exit of residents with movement strictly limited to
supplies of essentials and medical treatment. China has managed to vaccinate
large sections of its population; however, the current outbreak is being attributed
to the spread of the Delta variant. China has reported 198 COVID-19 cases since
October 17.

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Beijing is taking
strong steps as health officials warn of more infections coming to surface as
testing is ramped up over the next few days. The recent surge has been linked
to a group of domestic tourists. Consequently, access to tourist sites have
been curbed in Beijing which reported three cases on Tuesday. Residents have
also been asked to not leave the city unless necessary.

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The lockdown has
also extended to localised housing compounds in Beijing. A marathon which was
expected to see nearly 30,000 runners has been cancelled. China is employing
these strict curbs even when its COVID numbers are far less than most countries.
This is because, China has adopted a zero-case strategy throughout the
pandemic. Moreover, China is also preparing for the Winter Olympics which are
just over 100 days away.

On Tuesday, China’s
Xinhua news agency said that party secretary of Ejin Banner in the northern
Inner Mongolia region has been removed from his position “due to poor performance
and implementation in epidemic prevention and control”.