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On October 26th, China reported 29 new cases of Covid-19, including 6 in the city of Lanzhou. The city authorities immediately implemented strict restrictions on residents and activities within the city. Specifically, Lanzhou residents were required to stay home, and their movements were tightly controlled, only allowed to go out for essential supplies or medical purposes.
Services such as buses and taxis have also been suspended. According to Chinese media reports, Lanzhou railway station has suspended more than 70 train services, including major railway lines to major cities such as Beijing and Xi'an. Flights to Lanzhou from other provinces and cities have also been canceled, and the resumption date is unclear.
The city of Lanzhou was deserted in the early days of the lockdown. - Photo: Ruptly
While the rest of the world is striving to reopen and implement policies for living with Covid, China continues to maintain a “zero Covid-19” strategy and enforce localized lockdowns in certain areas. The latest outbreak in China is linked to the Delta variant, with statistics showing 198 cases since October 17th. Health officials have warned that infections in the recent outbreak are linked to a group of domestic travelers who traveled from Shanghai to several other cities.
In Beijing, where three new cases of Covid-19 were reported, several restrictions have been implemented, including prohibiting travel to tourist attractions within the city and encouraging residents to stay indoors unless necessary. Inner Mongolia, home to approximately 35,000 people, is also under lockdown for two weeks starting October 25th due to a new outbreak of around 30 cases reported last week.
Despite China's extremely low number of infections compared to other countries, authorities are determined to contain the outbreak with only a few months remaining before the opening of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
