China reported the most new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases since January on Wednesday, as some cities tightened restrictions, cancelled flights, and expanded testing to combat an outbreak primarily caused by the Delta variety. Because of the travel restrictions and closures, Nomura cut its growth forecast for China's second-largest economy from July to September, as well as its full-year forecast, claiming that the country's zero-tolerance policy to the virus was becoming increasingly costly.
“The government's harsh actions are likely to result in China's most restrictive travel bans and lockdowns since the spring of 2020," the brokerage said in a note.
The coronavirus initially appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province's capital, but until recently, China has mostly avoided big local epidemics due to infections imported from abroad.
The highly transmissible Delta variety, on the other hand, has been found in more than a dozen Chinese cities, including the capital, since late July.
“Right now, the global epidemic is rapidly escalating, and the risk of imported viruses is rising,” says the report "On Wednesday, Mi Feng, a spokesman for the National Health Commission, stated.
“Recently, imported-related cases have been discovered at a number of airports, ports, and hospitals, resulting in a large-scale spread (of infections).” "Mi stated to the press.
China now has 144 high- or medium-risk regions, the most since the epidemic's peak in the spring of 2020. Authorities have cancelled trains to Beijing from high-risk zones, which are being subjected to the most stringent containment measures.
For the third day in a row, China reported 71 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, the highest daily total since January 30. Since July 30, the number of instances has risen for five days in a row.