Parts of southern China in lockdown to contain Covid-19 mini-outbreak

Guangzhou bears the brunt of latest cluster with 38 zones sealed to stop the spread as new infections continue to be identified

Health officials say fast-spreading Delta variant, first found in India, has made containment challenging

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A resident in Guangzhou’s Liwan district collects supplies from a central distribution site amid China’s mini-outbreak of Covid-19. Photo: Xinhua

Mimi Lauin Hong KongandGuo Ruiin Guangzhou

Published: 9:00pm, 1 Jun 2021Updated: 9:00pm, 1 Jun 2021

Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong are continuing to expand rapid viral screening and lockdown measures in response to a fast-spreading Covid-19 variant outbreak which erupted from a dim sum cluster last week.

State news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday that 38 zones in the provincial capital Guangzhou, where the mini-outbreak is concentrated, have been locked down, including the entire Zhongnan community in the city’s Liwan district. Residences and work areas of all infected cases, as well as 37 other exposed venues have been sealed.

The latest measures follow drastic restrictions on outbound travel from the city to sever transmission routes of the fast-spreading variant, the halting of mass vaccinations to focus on priority groups, and intensified efforts to run viral screenings on local residents.

The source of the latest outbreak was identified on May 21 after a 75-year-old woman dined at a dim sum restaurant in Liwan. Tests revealed she and the other cases were infected with the Covid-19 Delta variant, first found in India.

The variant lineage B. 1.617 was identified in India last October and has been reported in 44 countries as of mid-May, according to the World Health Organization. There are three strains in this lineage, of which the B. 1.617.2 is of particular concern. This strain has been renamed Delta by the WHO in an effort to reduce stigma around where variants emerge.

Mainland public health officials characterised this particular strain of Covid-19 as “fast-spreading, high viral load and comes with a short incubation period”. This has made the latest mini-outbreak in Guangdong particularly challenging, according to mainland officials, who said they had little time to contain the virus from erupting in a community outbreak.

According to the provincial health commission, Guangdong reported 11 new confirmed cases as of the end of Monday, with one of them being a previous asymptomatic case. Health officials in Guangzhou have reported 10 new confirmed cases – with one a previous asymptomatic case – as well as 10 further new asymptomatic cases.