Millions in China under lockdown as Delta cases rise

Wuhan city, the first epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic, reported seven new cases of the disease

BEIJING: Millions of people were confined to their homes in China on Monday as the country tried to contain its largest Covid-19 outbreak in months, including seven positive tests found in Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged in late 2019.

The country reported 55 new locally transmitted cases on Monday as an outbreak of the fast-spreading Delta variant reached over 20 cities in more than a dozen provinces.

The cluster in Wuhan came after the official daily tally was released, but it was confirmed by the state media that said the coronavirus infections had been traced to a train station. “The seven were identified as migrant workers,” Xinhua reported, citing Covid-19 prevention and control officials.

Major cities including Beijing have now tested millions of residents while cordoning off residential compounds and placing close contacts under quarantine.

Over 1.2 million residents were placed under strict lockdown for the next three days in the city of Zhuzhou in Hunan province on Monday, as authorities roll out a citywide testing and vaccination campaign, according to an official statement.

Germany to offer Covid booster shots from Sept

Germany will start offering Covid-19 booster shots to the elderly and at-risk from September, the health ministry said, citing concerns over “a reduced or rapidly declining immune response” among some groups. The booster shot - either Pfizer or Moderna - will also be offered to anyone who received the twodose AstraZeneca or single-dose Johnson & Johnson jabs, the health ministry said.

In Australia, troops hit Sydney’s streets on Monday to help enforce its prolonged lockdown, while stay-at-home orders in Brisbane were extended to curb a worsening outbreak.

Britain, meanwhile, opened its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from the US and the EU on Monday.

NYC transport workers need vaccines or tests

Governor Andrew Cuomo said workers in New York City’s airports and public transit system will have to get coronavirus vaccinations or face weekly testing, but he stopped short on Monday of mandating either masks or inoculations for the general public, saying he lacks the legal authority to do so.