New Delhi: In a fresh covid-19 outbreak in China, half a million people were quarantined and some districts are under business shutdown in the economically crucial province of Zhejiang. The current outbreak comes at a time when Beijing is gearing up to host the Winter Olympics in February.
State Of Covid-19 Situation In China
Zhejiang, a major industrial and export hub on the country's east coast, reported 44 of China's 51 domestically transmitted coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the tally to nearly 200 since last week, according to news agency AFP.
Even as the cases in China remain minuscule compared to other major economies, officials in Zhejiang have implemented the country's signature mass testing campaign and targeted lockdowns.
However, the country reported its first case of the Omicron variant in the northern port city of Tianjin, according to the Chinese media.
More than 540,000 people have been put in quarantine in Zhejiang, according to officials quoted in the AFP report. Other districts including Ningbo, the province's main port, and the nearby city of Shaoxing were also suspending some business operations.
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Meanwhile, Ningbo's Zhenhai district, a large petrochemical base, said all enterprises not related to virus control or deemed crucial to the public would be shut down and those petrochemical producers would have to reduce output.
A district in Shaoxing had directed businesses to halt last Thursday.