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 The travel restrictions and closures led Nomura to downgrade its
July-September growth forecast for the world's second-largest
economy, as well as its full-year prediction, saying China's
zero-tolerance approach to the virus was becoming increasingly
costly. [L4N2PB18L]
"The draconian measures taken by the government are resulting in
potentially the most stringent travel bans and lockdowns in China
since the spring of 2020," the brokerage said in a note.
The coronavirus first emerged in late 2019 in the city of Wuhan in
central Hubei province, but until recently, China had largely
managed to keep infections imported from abroad from sparking major
local outbreaks.
Since late July, however, the highly transmissible Delta variant has
been detected in more than a dozen Chinese cities, including the
capital.
China has reported 485 locally transmitted cases with symptoms
between July 20 and Aug. 3, although it's not immediately clear how
many involve the Delta variant.
As of early Wednesday, 17 provinces, regions and municipalities have
reported locally transmitted cases both with symptoms and without.
"At present, the global epidemic is rapidly intensifying and the
risk of imported infections is increasing," said Mi Feng, spokesman
at the National Health Commission on Wednesday.
"Recently, imported-related cases have been detected at many
airports, ports and hospitals, resulting in a spread (of infections)
of a certain scale," Mi told reporters.
China now has 144 areas deemed to be high or medium-risk, the most
since the peak of the epidemic in the spring of 2020. Authorities
have cancelled trains to Beijing from riskier areas, with high-risk
areas subject to the toughest containment measures.
China reported 71 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases for
Aug. 3, the highest daily tally since Jan. 30. The number of cases
has increased for five consecutive days since July 30.
(Graphics: Chinese cities hit by new wave of locally transmitted
COVID-19 cases since late July:
https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/CHINA/
lbvgnrmrbpq/chart.png)
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 RESTRICTIONS
Most cities have yet to impose strict citywide
lockdowns but a few have limited some movements.
Nanjing and Yangzhou in eastern Jiangsu
province, where the majority of China's local
Delta cases have been reported since July 20,
have suspended domestic flights, long-distance
shuttle buses, taxis and ride-hailing vehicles
from entering and leaving the two cities, and
suspended some bus services.
There are signs the Delta variant entered China from elsewhere
besides Nanjing.
One Delta patient in Shanghai had had no contact with infected
people in other Chinese cities in the 14 days before the person
started showing symptoms, a health official in Shanghai said on
Wednesday.
Inland cities such as Zhengzhou and Jingzhou have locked up some
neighbourhoods and limited public transport in areas considered
higher-risk.
In Wuhan, officials are this week testing all of the city's 12
million residents over three days after uncovering the first locally
transmitted infections since mid-2020, and shut parts of an economic
development and innovation zone.
.png) Many cities with COVID-19 cases have closed tourist sites
and shuttered entertainment venues. The southern tourist city of
Zhangjiajie has banned residents and travellers from leaving.
Including symptomatic patients arriving from abroad, the number of
new confirmed cases stood at 96 for Aug. 3, up from 90 a day
earlier.
China reported 27 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases, which it does
not classify as confirmed cases, compared with 41 a day earlier.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo, Liangping Gao and Roxanne Liu; Editing by
Tom Hogue, Gerry Doyle and Kim Coghill)
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