Central China’s Henan Province has ordered all colleges to suspend classes and go on vacation, halted parts of the province’s public transport, and advised locals to stay put during the Spring Festival holiday in a bid to control the latest COVID-19 surge fueled by the Delta variant that has caused 258 infections in 10 days in the province.
The province’s total confirmed cases have reached 258 since December 31, 2021 when the first cases were detected in the new round of winter outbreak testing. Among the 258 cases, 82 were from the province’s capital city of Zhengzhou, 143 from Xuchang, and the rest from another five cities in Henan.
Local health officials announced on Sunday’s press conference that the latest surge was a result of the Delta variant spread, which has by far affected more than seven places across the province, with some of the worst reporting cluster infections.
Daily COVID-19 increase in Henan on Saturday stood at 56, surpassing the daily tally of 30 local cases in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, which has reported a total of over 2,000 cases since coronavirus struck the area a month ago, according to the National Health Commission.
Authorities in Henan warned that the source of the virus is still unclear, and the epidemic control and prevention situation remains complex and challenging.
To prevent the epidemic from further spreading, Zhengzhou has hit the brakes on all cross-province, cross-city and cross-county buses on Saturday evening.
Anyang, another Henan city that reported 16 confirmed local cases, suspended all public transport within the city.
Schools in Henan also reacted to the COVID-19 surge immediately, ordering all students to leave campuses in batches to avoid crowd gathering. As of Saturday, all 157 colleges in the province have entered winter break time, and some 47,000 students are yet to leave the campus.
As the Spring Festival holiday draws near, Henan has advised local residents to stay put and not leave the province unless necessary. People returning from other places to Henan will have to report to communities upon their arrival, officials said at the press briefing on Sunday.
Residents line up to take nucleic acid tests in Zhengzhou, Central China’s Henan Province on January 4, 2021. Photo: VCG
