China imposes restrictions as Delta reaches nearly half the country

People queue to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a nucleic acid sample collection station at a park in Beijing on Aug 5, 2021. - AFP

BEIJING(Bloomberg): China imposed new travel and movement restrictions across the nation, including in its highly protected capital of Beijing, as a delta-driven outbreak grew to over 500 symptomatic cases scattered across 15 provinces and municipalities.

Public transport and taxi services were curtailed in 144 of the worst-hit areas nationwide, while officials curbed train service and subway usage in Beijing, where three new cases were reported Wednesday (Aug 4). Hong Kong re-imposed quarantine on travellers from the mainland, though an exception remained for the southern Guangdong province which neighbours the financial city.