China puts a third city in lockdown after detecting a case of coronavirus

A third city of China confined its inhabitants on Thursday after the appearance of a single case of coronavirus covid-19, as the authorities fear the risks of contagion less than 100 days before the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

About 6 million Chinese are now the target of confinement measures, two days after a similar decision decreed in the great city of Lanzhou (4 million inhabitants), 1,700 km west of Beijing.

China, where the coronavirus first appeared in late 2019, it largely controlled the epidemic since spring 2020 with the adoption of drastic measures, including the closure of borders.

The country faces very limited sporadic outbreaks, like the one that has spread since last week in northern China. At least 11 provinces have been affected, of the thirty that the Asian giant has.

After the commune of Ejin, on the border with Mongolia, Heihe, on the border with Russia, ordered its inhabitants to stay at home except in an emergency on Thursday, according to a statement from the city council.

The vast municipality, located opposite the Russian city of Blagovechchensk, began testing its 1.6 million inhabitants for coronavirus. Public transport is suspended and no vehicle can leave the city.

On Thursday, 23 new cases of infection were registered in the last 24 hours throughout the country, that is, half of the previous day.

Tens of thousands of residents are under house arrest in large residential areas where coronavirus cases have been reported, particularly in Beijing.

The Chinese capital is preparing to host the Winter Olympics in February under high health surveillance. Athletes must have been vaccinated or undergo a 21-day quarantine upon arrival on Chinese soil.

Only people residing in China will be able to attend the tests.

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