China suspends all tourism activities in Gansu province as COVID cases surge

Amid the surge in COVID cases in China, the government has imposed a ban on all tourism activities in China's Northwest Province, Gansu, reported local media. According to a Global Times report, the Chinese government has asked all tourists in Lanzhou to stay in their respective places and be quarantined as Gansu province has recorded a spike in COVID -19 infection cases. In a week, the province reported a total of 41 fresh COVID cases, among which 30 are from Lanzhou, seven from Zhangye, two from Jiayu Pass, and one from Tianshui, among other regions.

According to a gene sequencing report, it was revealed that a highly contagious Delta variant caused the sudden spike in COVID -19 cases. Meanwhile, other parts of China, including Beijing, Inner Mongolia, and Shaanxi, also recorded an increase in cases caused by the Delta variant. The National Health Commission informed us that on Saturday, October 23, the Chinese mainland recorded 26 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases. A total of 17 new imported cases were reported, of which eight patients were from Zhejiang, 4 in Shanghai, and one each in Beijing, Heilongjiang, Guandong, Guangxi, and Yunnan. 

COVID situation in China

The Chinese government is ramping up COVID curb measures like testing and restricting tourism. This sudden spike has prompted health officials in Beijing and other provinces to implement strict COVID measures like quartine, compulsory testing, cancelling hotel bookings, and the use of sanitisers and masks. The country has also tightened interstate air travel as several cities are reporting Delta variant cases. Meanwhile, the country has administered more than 2.243 billion covid vaccines.

COVID situation in rest of the world

The deadly coronavirus is resurging again in several countries. In a week many countries including Russia, the UK, China, and several parts of Eastern Europe have recorded a steep surge in Covid-19 cases. As per the report issued by the World Health Organization, the highest number of cases were reported from the UK, 283,756 new cases, a 14% increase. While Russia reported a 15% rise and the cases stood at 217,322. European region recorded a 7% increase in COVID cases.

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With Inputs from ANI