China is faced with its biggest COVID-19 outbreak caused by the Delta variant. Travelers from Dalian city which has the fastest infection rate in the country are being subjected to tough quarantine rules.
Officials from Chinese authorities said 32 new locally transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms have been reported for Nov. 14, with a huge majority reported from northeastern Dalian city. According to Reuters calculations based on official numbers indicate that the recent infections have taken the tally of local cases since Oct. 17 to 1,308. This exceeds the 1,280 local cases reported during a summer Delta outbreak.
This records the country’s most widespread Delta outbreak, affecting 21 provinces, municipalities, and regions. Although it is smaller in comparison to outbreaks in a number of other countries, Chinese authorities are aiming to halt any further transmissions adhering to the government’s zero-tolerance guidance.
Quick implementation of a complex set of measures led to the containment of flare-ups within weeks in a dozen province-level regions in the current outbreak. The steps taken include rigorous contact tracing, multiple rounds of testing people in risk areas, the closure of cultural and entertainment venues, and placing restrictions on public transport as well as tourism.
Despite the controls, Wu Liangyou an official at the National Health Commission has said that Dalian remains locked in a struggle with the virus.
On Nov.4, Dalian’s first local symptomatic COVID-19 patients were reported and the port city of 7.5 million people has currently detected an average of around 24 new local cases on a daily basis which is higher than other Chinese cities as per Reuters calculations.
A number of cities around Dalian, including Anshan, Dandong, and Shenyang, have announced that people arriving from Dalian need to be quarantined at centralized facilities for two weeks before they are permitted to move freely, as a cautious measure.
As of Nov.14, mainland China reported 98,315 confirmed COVID cases with symptoms that include domestically transmitted infections and those from overseas. Deaths reported amount to 4,636.
