BEIJING, Jan 7, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – China reported 63 new Covid-19 infections
on Thursday — the highest single-day tally since July — as authorities try
to stamp out an outbreak of the virus in a city of 11 million near Beijing.
The virus first emerged in central China in late 2019, but since then
authorities have largely brought the situation under control through travel
restrictions, strict lockdowns and mass testing.
But a recent outbreak in northern Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing,
has seen cases spike and prompted mass testing, school closures and travel
links being cut into the province.
On Thursday, there were 51 more cases reported in the province, the
National Health Commission reported — plus another 69 asymptomatic cases.
State broadcaster CCTV showed a small crowd gathered outside a railway
station in Shijiazhuang being directed by medical staff in full hazmat suits
and protective wear.
“I did the nucleic acid test last night, but don’t have the results yet.
Without it I can’t leave the city,” one young woman told CCTV.
Major highways leading into the city of Shijiazhuang, around 300
kilometres (200 miles) south of Beijing, have been closed and inter-city bus
travel halted in an attempt to prevent the virus spreading beyond the city.
The state-run Global Times reported that railway tickets from Hebei to the
capital Beijing were no longer being sold in a bid to halt the spread of the
virus.
One district in Shijiazhuang — which has a population of 11 million —
has been declared high risk and sealed off, and authorities said tens of
thousands have already been tested for the virus.
There were also 11 imported cases and one other domestic case in
northeastern China confirmed Thursday.