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Coronavirus: Chinese beach city Sanya reports nearly 200 new cases despite blanket lockdown
- More than 800 confirmed cases logged so far in China’s first coronavirus outbreak caused by BA.5.1.3, a highly infectious new Omicron variant
- Special government teams sent to probe reports of price-gouging by hotels after stranded tourists offered half-rate stays by authorities
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The popular beach destination of Sanya in China’s southernmost Hainan province reported 186 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and another 227 asymptomatic infections on Monday, amid a fast-spreading outbreak that has triggered a citywide lockdown.
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More than 800 confirmed cases have been reported since August 1, in a wave attributed to China’s first cases of the Omicron subvariant BA.5.1.3, the most infectious and transmissible coronavirus strain yet.
Seeking to cut off transmission chains, the local government announced an indefinite total lockdown on Saturday, with neither residents nor visitors allowed to leave or enter the city.
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Public transport services have been suspended, and curbs imposed on movement.
All train and plane journeys have been cancelled and ticket sales suspended, leaving tens of thousands of travellers stranded – nearly 3,000 of them at Sanya airport alone.
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