Suzhou a new front in China’s all-out battle against Omicron coronavirus variant
- Public gatherings banned and school semester delayed after cases found at industrial park
- Mass screening under way and production stopped at least one chip plant
The new outbreak is yet another front in China’s battle against the highly transmissible variant, with several cities around the country trying to cut the chain of infection.
The seven cases in Suzhou – just 80km (50 miles) from Shanghai – included a couple, their three-month-old daughter and a nanny. They were identified during screening carried out after a warehouse worker at the Suzhou Industrial Park visited a fever clinic on Sunday and was diagnosed with Covid-19.
The worker had handled imported materials and the rest of the patients, including one yet to show symptoms, were all from companies in the same park.
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Taiwanese firm United Microelectronics Corporation said production was suspended at a plant in the park operated by its wafer fab subsidiary, HeJian Technology (Suzhou).