As infection count rises, China has started taking stricter measures to contain the outbreak, including imposing lockdown in the Ejin Banner and Lanzhou.
Ejin Banner is a border town whereas Lanzhou is a city with about four million inhabitants. Residents have been asked to not leave their except in cases of emergencies.
The resurgence in cases is being attributed to the new Delta variant of the coronavirus and tourist activity. Out of the 13 new cases in Inner Mongolia on Sunday, 24 October, 12 were found in the city of Ejin Banner. Out of the 29 new cases on Tuesday, 26 October, six were found in Lanzhou.
Both the cities have reported 43 and 39 new cases respectively in the past week. "A total of 198 cases have been reported," Live Mint reported.
While there are reports of tourists stranded in these cities, the administration has said that it would provide medical and food supplies to the tourists.
While the number of cases may not be very alarming, China is said to be following a zero-tolerance policy against the virus. There are predictions of the situation worsening in the near future, and China has started imposing restrictions to curb the spread. Beijing Olympics is just 100 days away.
While in the two cities - Ejin Banner and Lanzhou, entry and exits are being controlled and public gatherings banned, tourist cities in other cities like Beijing, with three cases on Tuesday, 26 October have been shut down. Residents of a housing society in Changping after reporting nine cases, have been asked to stay home and the Marathon has been cancelled. Mass testing is underway and any breaches of the COVID 19 protocol is to be met with criminal punishment. According to a Live Mint report, Beijing police have already initiated criminal proceedings against three persons.
(With inputs from the Scroll and Live Mint)
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