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Fresh COVID-19 outbreak in China: Queue for jabs, flight cancellations after new cases

WION Web Team
GuangzhouUpdated: May 31, 2021, 12:51 PM IST
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File photo: Passengers wearing personal protective suits queue up at the check-in area at the international airport in Manila on May 28, 2020, for their commercial flight to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Photograph:(AFP)

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Thousands of Guangzhou residents queued up to take their COVID-19 vaccines after authorities reported several fresh infections in the area over the past week.

China is grappling with the issue of coronavirus once again with a flurry of flight cancellations announced in the city of Guangzhou. 

Some are citing it to be another wave of the pandemic in China as new clusters emerge and the outbreak becomes bigger.

On Thursday, thousands of Guangzhou residents queued up to take their COVID-19 vaccines after authorities reported several fresh infections in the area over the past week.

The national health authority of China reported that a total of 27 new coronavirus cases have been reported in the city and only seven infections were imported, with the remainder originating in Guangdong province.

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The urban residents in an area spanning five streets within the Liwan district have been barred from leaving their homes except for selected family members to buy daily products, the city government said on Saturday. Authorities didn't mention the length of the newly imposed lockdown.

All in-person lessons and classes have been banned in the area. Indoor stadiums, wholesale markets and entertainment facilities in the affected areas were also closed, while dine-in services were banned at restaurants.

As of 11:40 am, a total of 519 flights at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport were cancelled, accounting for 37% of total flights on Monday, according to aviation data provider Variflight.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, which carried 43.8 million passengers last year, was the world`s busiest airport amid a global pandemic.

People leaving the city from airports, train stations and shuttle bus stations need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within three days unless they were transiting, the city said in a statement late on Sunday.

The city administration had started taking measures to contain the spread since May 21 when confirmed cases and asymptomatic infections began showing up in the city.

As of May 30, China had a total of 91,099 confirmed COVID-19 cases, while its death toll remained unchanged at 4,636.

Even though Chinese leader Xi Jinping had declared a win over COVID-19 but with the emergence of new cases, it seems that China has certainly not defeated the virus entirely.

(With inputs from agencies)