China to test all 9mn people in Qingdao for Covid in five days
Fresh coronavirus cases emerge in China’s eastern coastal city after the holiday season
China has launched mass nucleic acid tests in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao after 12 Covid-19 infections including six asymptomatic cases, mostly related to a chest hospital, were reported.
More than 9 million residents of the city, located on the Yellow Sea coast, will be tested over five days, city officials said on Monday. Mass testing was launched on Sunday evening after reports of the new cases were confirmed. By Sunday night, photos were circulating online showing residents lining up for tests.
Six confirmed locally transmitted cases and six more asymptomatic ones were reported on Sunday, triggering worries of a new outbreak.
Local media reports said that as of Sunday night, all the cases were connected to Qingdao Chest Hospital, which was treating “imported” cases of the deadly disease.
According to local health authorities, the hospital in Qingdao has been sealed and all doctors and medical staff were being tested.
Buildings, where the families of the infected live, have been locked down; family members and relatives are being tested.
A coastal tourism hub with a German concession area, millions of domestic tourists from across the country had come to the city in the first week of October during China’s National Day holidays.
“Data from the Qingdao municipal bureau of culture and tourism showed that Qingdao received 4.47 million passenger trips during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays,” the tabloid Global Times reported on Monday.
UK PM faces lawsuits over Covid-19 measures
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government faces two new lawsuits over its handling of the pandemic as it’s preparing to role out tough new restrictions.
Three lawmakers filed a so-called judicial review to force the government to disclose the details of Covid-19 contracts awarded to private companies. In a separate case, restaurant and pub owners are challenging rules designed to reduce infections in northern England.
The UK government has faced multiple lawsuits over its response to the coronavirus, from the availability of medical equipment to student exam results. The legal moves can force officials to explain the reasoning behind policies or even make them abandon some measures.
Meanwhile, French PM Jean Castex has warned that the country could impose further restrictions as the coronavirus is spreading rapidly and the situation in hospitals is deteriorating in the country.
Speaking on French news broadcaster France Info on Monday, Castex said that “there can be no more slackening” to face the pandemic. Nine big cities, including Paris and Marseille, have been placed under maximum virus alert.
French health authorities reported about 43,000 new infections over the weekend.