Shanghai halts 500 flights, issues closure order after 3 three local Covid cases
After three locally-transmitted Covid-19 cases were reported in Shanghai on Friday, hundreds of flights were cancelled, schools were closed, and tourists activities were shut down.
The three positive cases, according to a municipal government statement, were friends from the nearby city of Suzhou who attended an old architecture lecture last week. The three friends had close contact with nearly 200 persons, leading 20 hospitals to restrict outpatient and emergency medical services for three days as a precaution. Authorities also stated that all three patients were completely immunised.
The limitations are part of Beijing’s Covid-zero strategy, which aims to eradicate all traces of the coronavirus within its borders through fast restrictions and lockdowns.
According to Chinese media site Jiemian News, almost 30% of flights from two of Shanghai’s major airports were canceled after the infections were discovered on Thursday and more than 500 flights were canceled as found on tracking service VariFlight.
Shanghai officials also directed travel operators to halt all city tours and vacation programs to neighboring provinces, including the closure of numerous residential compounds that are thought to pose a higher infection risk.
During a press briefing last week, the chairman of Shanghai’s pandemic prevention task force said…
“China has collected lots of epidemic prevention expertise in ‘dynamic Covid-zero,’ so our strategy won’t change.”
The last time Shanghai identified a domestically transmitted Covid-19 case was at Disneyland on Halloween night. Over 30,000 people were stranded at the park and had to undergo testing before being allowed to leave.
SOURCE: Insider
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