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BFF-09
CHINA-VIRUS-VACCINES
China tightens virus restrictions on new cluster ahead of Lunar New Year
BEIJING, Jan 9, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Two Chinese cities south of Beijing
further tightened virus restrictions Saturday as authorities race to stamp
out a resurgence in infections.
China has largely brought its domestic outbreak under control after the
coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019 — but a spike in Hebei
province, bordering Beijing, has sparked fresh lockdowns ahead of the Lunar
New Year next month.
Hebei has reported over 130 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the past week, with
more than 200 more asymptomatic infections.
Most of the cases were in Shijiazhuang city, which along with its
surrounding areas is home to 11 million people. Several other infections were
reported in neighbouring Xingtai city, home to 7 million.
Shijiazhuang suspended subway operations from Saturday morning to aid
“prevention and control of the outbreak”, authorities said.
Major highways leading into the city, around 300 kilometres (200 miles)
south of Beijing, have already been closed and inter-city passenger travel
halted.
Overnight, Xingtai announced a week-long stay at home order to residents in
order to curb its outbreak.
The curbs come ahead of the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions
criss-cross China to visit family and friends, with National Health
Commission vice minister Zeng Yixin warning Saturday the festival “will
further boost the risk of transmission.”
Authorities are racing to roll out vaccines, with more than 9 million doses
given so far, Zeng added. Health authorities recently gave conditional
approval to a vaccine candidate by Chinese pharma giant Sinopharm, with
emergency use jabs already administered in the later part of 2020.
BSS/AFP/SSS/0925 hrs