Omicron Variant Spreads Wide: China Sets Highest Daily Record Since March 2020, Standby Ahead Of Lunar Holidays

JAKARTA - Cities such as Luoyang in central China and Jieyang in the south said on Sunday, travelers need to report to the public, businessmen, or hotels of their trip three days before arrival.

While the southwestern city of Yulin said on Saturday, those wishing to enter must fill out an online form, including their health credentials and travel details, one day in advance.

In addition to these cities, over the weekend, the capital Beijing and the southern tech hub each detected one domestically transmitted case of Omicron.

The possibility of Omicron cases in Beijing being infected through imported goods cannot be ruled out, Pang Xinghuo, an official at the city's disease control authority, said Monday, citing CNA on January 17.

Li Ang, deputy director at the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, said a local hospital had received nine Omicron infections, with six still being treated. He did not say when the infections arrived or why they were not disclosed earlier.

"Meizhou city in Guangdong province found one Omicron infection linked to the outbreak in Zhuhai", state television said.

So far, at least five provinces and cities have reported localized Omicron infections, while 14 provincial regions have found variants among travelers arriving from overseas.

China has yet to show strong signs of changing its guidelines for rapidly controlling local infections, despite its high vaccination rate of 86.6 percent. The strategy has taken on extra urgency ahead of the Winter Olympics, which will be staged in Beijing and neighboring Hebei province from February 4.

Many local governments have advised residents not to leave the city unnecessarily during the holidays, while dozens of international and domestic flights have been suspended.

Separately, China's aviation regulator said on Monday it would suspend two flights from the United States due to COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of canceled flights this year from the United States to 76.

China reported 223 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the highest number since March 2020. This was mainly driven by infections in the cities of Tianjin and Anyang, where Omicron has been found in local clusters. There are a total of 80 new cases in Tianjin and nine in the main manufacturing hub of Guangdong.

Sixty of the new cases reported on Monday were imported, as China maintains tight controls over border entries, including cutting flight numbers and a "circuit breaker" policy in which routes are halted if the number of infections carried is too high.

To note, analysts have warned that the ongoing zero-COVID approach, which includes rapid and targeted travel lockdowns and restrictions, will further weigh on the economy.