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Coronavirus: Beijing tightens travel restrictions to keep Delta variant at bay

  • Travellers from Covid-19 hotspots will not be able to get into the capital without a ‘green’ code on their phones
  • Plane, train and long-haul bus services from outbreak centres have also been suspended

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Travellers from Delta variant hotspots will need a green code on their phones to enter Beijing. Photo: Reuters
Authorities in the Chinese capital have tightened travel restrictions to the city, banning visitors from coronavirus hotspots as they try to keep the highly transmissible Delta variant at bay.
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The latest wave of cases erupted at the international airport in the eastern city of Nanjing before spreading to 17 provinces around the country – with no sign of easing.

The National Health Commission recorded 75 locally transmitted coronavirus cases on Friday, slightly fewer than the day before, as well as 32 new imported transmissions, it said on Saturday.

In Beijing, eight cases were confirmed last week, but none have been reported in the past three days. The capital is a top travel destination during the summer holidays, putting it at risk of spread from elsewhere.

As a result, city authorities have banned travellers from areas with recent cases and suspended plane, train and long-haul bus services from those centres.

02:23

Covid-19 returns to China’s Wuhan as Delta variant spreads to 10 provinces

Covid-19 returns to China’s Wuhan as Delta variant spreads to 10 provinces

The capital’s Covid-19 prevention and control team said anyone from Beijing in those high-risk areas would receive a “yellow code” from the authorities via a mobile phone app, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Saturday.

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