China upgrades control measures amid virus resurgence

China upgraded the prevention and control measures in multiple provinces and cities to contain the latest COVID-19 resurgence, official media reported Tuesday.

On Monday, 61 new local cases were confirmed, according to the national health commission.

The main coronavirus strain spreading now is the delta variant, which is highly contagious, can rapidly replicate within the human body, and takes a long period of time for patients to recover, according to China's national health commission.

The city of Yangzhou in Jiangsu province reported 40 new local cases on Monday, and the city has had 94 local cases since July 20, local authorities said.

The city has locked down all residential areas, allowing only one person per family to go out once a day for purchasing daily necessities, official CCTV reported.

At the cargo area of Shanghai's Pudong Airport, 20 testing points were set up to test all staff members after a service staff for a foreign cargo flight was found infected on Monday.

In the city of Jingzhou of Hubei Province, the authorities locked down a residential sub-district and asked all residents of the district to take virus tests after two people were found infected.