China has reported 68 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since April. Among these, 57 cases are in the Xinjiang Uyghur region in the northwest, where authorities are testing millions of residents and have imposed strict lockdowns in the capital city, Urumqi.

Another 6 cases were found in the industrial port city of Dalian in Liaoning province, where a new outbreak occurred in a seafood processing plant last week, bringing the total number of new cases in Dalian to 44.

Health authorities have revealed that the Dalian cluster has now spread to 9 cities across 5 districts nationwide, reaching as far as Fujian province in the southeastern coastal region.

Fujian province announced that Fuzhou, the capital city, has entered a "state of war" after an asymptomatic case traveled from Dalian, located 1,500 kilometers away.

This state of war has prompted Fujian to implement new measures, increasing checks on travelers entering Fuzhou from areas heavily affected by the virus.

 

Yesterday, Beijing also reported a new case linked to an asymptomatic individual who traveled from Dalian, marking the first new community case since the city managed the Xinfadi market cluster earlier in July.

This time, Beijing has begun extensive testing in a residential building in the suburban area where the infected person resides.

Additionally, 12 new asymptomatic cases were reported in Dalian yesterday, as the city is hosting the Chinese Super League under strict control measures.

On Sunday (July 26), Dalian health authorities announced plans to test 6 million residents within 4 days. The following day (July 27), officials reported that samples had already been collected from 1.68 million people.

Moreover, Dalian authorities have prohibited communal dining and required customers to present a "local health code" on their mobile phones when entering restaurants.

The Shenzhen health office, adjacent to Hong Kong, announced that by Tuesday morning, authorities had tested over 3,000 residents after a Hong Kong truck driver, who had recently tested positive for COVID, passed through the city.

Initially, Hong Kong had successfully controlled the COVID-19 outbreak, but last month saw a significant increase in community infections.

Meanwhile, mainland China has reported a total of 83,959 confirmed cases, with 391 still hospitalized.

However, the business sector continues to seek ways to survive the COVID crisis. Yesterday, China Southern Airlines, the largest airline in China by passenger numbers, launched a "Happy Flying" promotion, allowing customers to purchase unlimited tickets for travel anywhere in China from August 26 to January 6, 2021, for 3,699 yuan (approximately 17,000 baht).

Among dozens of Chinese airlines, at least 8 have offered similar promotions since June to stimulate consumer spending.

However, Luya You, a transportation analyst at BOCOM International, stated that such promotions are only viable when the COVID risk has significantly decreased. "While this package may work for the domestic market, we do not expect similar campaigns for international routes anytime soon,"

SOURCE : www.bangkokbiznews.com