Coronavirus: China reports 71 new local cases as pressure builds on officials

Police investigate whether woman who visited mahjong parlours in Yangzhou broke pandemic rules

Officials in Zhangjiajie have been warned, reprimanded or dismissed for failing to curb the spread of the virus

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Residents line up to get tested for Covid-19 at a residential block in Wuhan, Hubei on Tuesday. The entire population of 11 million is being tested after new infections were detected in the city. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 2:06pm, 4 Aug 2021Updated: 10:44pm, 4 Aug 2021

China reported 71 new local coronavirus cases on Wednesday, up from the previous day, as pressure mounts on health authorities and officials over their handling of the latest outbreak.

The country is facing its biggest challenge since it largely brought the virus under control last year, after the highly transmissible Delta variant was detected among Nanjing airport staff on July 20.

By Tuesday, the outbreak had spread to 17 provinces, with more than 400 cases, according to the National Health Commission.

The rapid spread of the virus across the country – where almost 1.7 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered – has prompted mass testing, lockdowns, travel curbs and other measures as authorities try to manage the outbreak.

Of the new infections, 35 were in the eastern province of Jiangsu, where Nanjing is located, and 15 were in the central province of Hunan. Neighbouring Hubei – where the first cases of the virus were detected at the start of the pandemic – reported nine new cases as its capital Wuhan rolls out mass testing of its entire population of 11 million.

While Nanjing is the worst-hit in the outbreak, nearby Yangzhou has also emerged as a hotspot, reporting another 32 cases as of Tuesday for a total of 94.

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