China tightens COVID-19 restrictions as Tianjin battles omicron outbreak

Cities across China are applying harsher restrictions to try to contain fresh outbreaks of COVID-19, with Tianjin battling the extremely contagious omicron strain which has been confirmed to have been spread locally in two other provinces.

Also read: China locks down Anyang city amid new COVID-19 wave threat

During the latest outbreak, 49 domestically transmitted cases with verified symptoms were found, according to a Tianjin official speaking at a press conference on Tuesday. The 14-million-strong city, which is just 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Beijing, is now enforcing strict measures to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, particularly to Beijing.

Tianjin, which has tightened controls on people leaving the city, shut down indoor venues like gyms and clubs in one zone with over 800,000 residents on Tuesday.

Also read: Rolls-Royces makes record sales during COVID pandemic, here’s why

The outbreak in Tianjin has been related to instances in Anyang, in the central Chinese province of Henan, where 84 confirmed infections have been reported since Saturday.

Tianjin, which has tightened controls on people leaving the city, shut down indoor venues like gyms and clubs in one zone with over 800,000 residents on Tuesday.

The outbreak in Tianjin has been related to instances in Anyang, in the central Chinese province of Henan, where 84 confirmed infections have been reported since Saturday.

Anyang has ordered its 5.5 million people to stay at home unless they are going out for a COVID test or essential jobs, after two local omicron infections were traced to a student arriving from Tianjin on Monday.

Also read: China’s Tianjin on partial lockdown after omicron found

The country’s omicron rise comes just weeks before the Lunar New Year, a busy travel season for millions, and cities across China are warning residents to remain put, especially as Beijing prepares to host the Winter Olympics at the beginning of next month.

Even while the symptoms among omicron infections in Tianjin appeared to be less severe than past versions, Zhang Boli, a government medical expert, said state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday that omicron “can’t be taken lightly.”

After multiple passengers tested positive for COVID-19 when they landed in China, China has ordered the cancellation of more than two dozen scheduled flights from the United States. 

In an interview carried late Monday on state television, Zhang Ying, an officer with Tianjin’s disease control centre, said, “Facing omicron directly, we found the speed of transmission was really quite fast.”

Also read: India records 1,79,723 new COVID-19 cases, omicron tally at 4,033

“Whether it is in terms of virus origin tracing or epidemiological investigations, the omicron variant has brought along unprecedentedly massive challenges and difficulties,” she added.

At the weekend, Tianjin verified its first two locally transmitted instances of omicron, with Zhang claiming that 20 people were affected in the first 24 hours.

To help prevent the variation from spreading, the city has imposed travel restrictions and begun a mass testing campaign.

According to the National Health Commission, China confirmed 110 local symptomatic cases on Jan. 10, up from 97 the day before, with 87 local cases in the densely populated Henan province.

In response to an outbreak caused by the Delta variant, Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan, has closed non-essential public facilities such as beauty salons, banned dining in restaurants, and prohibited taxis and ride-hailing platforms from operating in quarantined areas, according to local officials.

Also read: China tests 14 million people at Tianjin, ‘gateway to Beijing’ after omicron cases found

On Monday, a separate imported omicron illness was discovered in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, roughly 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of Shanghai. On Jan. 5, the patient flew from Australia to Shanghai before being transferred to Wuxi.

Other localities are likewise taking precautions as the Lunar New Year approaches.

Authorities in Shenzhen, China’s southernmost city, halted a metro station on Tuesday and encouraged locals not to buy goods from high-risk nations after a number of local instances of Delta were recorded since January 7.

Visitors to the southeastern island province of Hainan, a famous tourist destination, will be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test before entering.

There were no new deaths on January 10, bringing the total number of deaths to 4,636. On the 10th of January, mainland China reported 103,968 confirmed cases with symptoms, including both local and international cases.