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The Delta variant outbreak spreading across more than half of China’s provinces has put authorities on high alert, with stringent lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions reimposed on tens of millions of residents.
Pior to the current outbreak, life in China had largely returned to normal with cases all but eliminated barring, small isolated outbreaks. In many cities, people going about their daily lives no longer wore face masks, and photos of largely maskless crowds at tourist hotspots and music festivals repeatedly made international headlines.
“The public…has become less aware of Covid-19 prevention as the pandemic drags on. Some think they do not have to wear a mask after getting vaccinated — leading to loopholes in epidemic prevention and personal protection,” the National Health Commission said on Friday.
The updated guidelines state that the general public should now wear masks in shopping malls, supermarkets, cinemas, exhibition halls and airports, as well as all public transports and elevators. Mask is now also required in crowded outdoor areas, such as public squares and parks.
Previous guidelines, issued in May last year, did not require mask wearing for outdoor areas, or uncrowded indoor spaces with good ventilation.
The new guidelines also tightened mask requirements for key professional groups considered at a higher risk of catching the virus, including those dealing with overseas personnel and goods, medical workers as well as cleaners, security guards and drivers working at ports, airports, customs and hospitals.
The ongoing outbreak first started last month in Nanjing, Jiangsu province in eastern China, where nine airport cleaners were found to be infected during a routine test. Authorities said the cleaners did not strictly follow epidemic prevention guidelines after cleaning a flight from Russia and contracted the virus, before spreading it to other colleagues.
Mahjong parlors, popular with older people, have played a central role in the spread of Covid in the eastern city of Yangzhou, a hotspot of the ongoing outbreak, according to authorities. The city is conducting its seventh round of mass testing in two weeks and reported 25 new cases on Friday.
Across China, 47 locally transmitted symptomatic infections were reported Friday, according to the National Health Commission. The country has seen more than 1,000 cases since the outbreak, but daily new cases have dropped into the two digits in recent days.