More Chinese provinces report cases linked to Beijing clusters

[BEIJING] The Chinese capital reported on Monday new local Covid-19 cases for the 7th consecutive day as flare-ups persisted ahead of the Winter Olympics Games in February, while four provinces found infections linked to clusters in Beijing.

The Beijing municipality reported 6 new domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Sunday, after reporting 9 a day earlier, data from the National Health Commission (NHC) showed on Monday.

Since Jan 15, the city has reported a total of 36 local symptomatic cases, said the NHC.

Beijing has quickly stepped up measures to block further spreading of the virus, with the Winter Olympics due to start on Feb 4, and China already in the Chinese New Year holiday travel season.

Outside of Beijing, the provinces of Shandong, Shanxi, Liaoning and Hebei have already found a total of 8 infections linked to the capital.

Fengtai district in Beijing on Sunday launched blanket testing of around 2 million residents, while some communities in other districts have started targeted testing in key groups.

People who bought over-the-counter treatments for fever, cough, infections or dry and sore throat should do a Covid-19 test within 3 days upon the purchase, and should avoid going out before the test result is known, a statement published by the Beijing Municipal Health Commission said on Sunday.

Any lack of testing will be reflected in the individual's digital health code, which "may affect travel and daily life", the statement said.

The financial hub Shanghai detected on Monday 1 local case with confirmed symptoms. The individual worked at the cargo section of the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Cargo and passenger flights at the airport have not been affected, an executive at Shanghai Airport Group told a news briefing on Monday.

Travellers who arrive in Shanghai from overseas need to complete a 7-day "health monitoring" period following two weeks of quarantine at centralised facilities.

From Tuesday, those who have to complete the health monitoring at hotels are largely not allowed to leave their rooms, and those who have to go out for special conditions such as seeking medical services will need to ride in designated vehicles, Shanghai government said in a statement.

Nationwide, mainland China reported 18 new locally transmitted confirmed cases for Sunday, down from 19 a day earlier. It also reported five new domestic asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases. There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 4,636.

As of Jan 23, mainland China had reported 105,660 cases with confirmed symptoms, including both local ones and those arriving from abroad.

REUTERS